The Outgoing and the Shy
by MiracleHeart
Summary: Alfred tried his hand at magic but look at what it caused. Who are these two girls and what will they have in store for the nations? OC's alert.
1. Chapter 1: Situation

**[Author's Note:]  
Collab story time! This is going to be a silly story that EliteKessu and I will be working on. I apologize for the super long first chapter. We got carried away and didn't know where we could cut off.  
Enjoy~ ^.^**

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Situation

"Hey Kiki." A girl with long, black hair and a newsboy cap strode up to a fountain. This was a meeting place between her and her friend when they wanted to get together to go somewhere.

A girl with shorter hair, and height, looked up from her phone and waved at her friend. "Hi hi."

She smiled and took her friend's phone from her hands, to rid of distraction. "Say Kiki, what do you want to do today? I mean it's the start of summer."

Kiki reached for her phone but her friend's height was obviously higher and decided not to try anymore. "We could…" then her stomach growled as on cue to her pause, "…grab something to eat first." She laughed nervously, with a sweatdrop going down her head.

Another stomach growl resounded. "Yeah, good idea." The taller friend laughed too. "Carl's?"

Kiki shrugged. "Sure, why not?" It was where they usually went and it was nearby so why not take that chance?

-_Somewhere at some other world_-

A young man with bright blue eyes and short blonde hair, which had a lock of hair sticking up above his forehead, cleared his throat. "Okay! Let's start off this meeting!"

The British man of this conference heaved a sigh. "Do bring up something _rational_ to discuss this time…"

"Like your weird magic stuff is rational, Artie," countered the blonde American.

"Moving on!"

Alfred F. Jones simply grinned in satisfaction and turned back to the meeting. "Anyway, I got something wicked cool to show you guys!" At that, he pulled out a battered old book.

"Ve~ did you finally find 'The Atmosphere' book?" asked the Italian. He and Alfred had been on a lifelong quest to find such sacred text; at least, they thought it was sacred because they could not find it and no one else would help them out.

"I did! It's so cool! It says a bunch of cool things about other worlds and stuff like that!" he answered excitedly.

Feliciano Vargas gasped. "Whoa! That's amazing~ I wanna see!"

"Other worlds?" The Brit, Arthur Kirkland, raised a brow.

"A lot better than your magic crap, Artie; It actually tells you how to get people from different worlds," Alfred retorted in a mocking tone.

Feliciano continued to be amazed. "Really?"

Arthur slammed on the table, startling the nations sitting around him. "That is risky, Alfred! Don't try a stunt like that. And stop calling me Artie!"

The German leaned back in his seat impatiently. "Can we actually talk about something other than magic, please?" He did not understand any of this witchcraft or alchemy or whatever that was involved. He only wanted real issues to be discussed and greatly disliked how Alfred was always the one leading.

An equally impatient Swiss shook his head. "You should know by now that nothing in these meetings are meaningful."

"I have to agree with that, aru." The Chinese, by the name of Yao Wang, placed his hands in his large sleeves and sat back in his seat a well.

"Besides, a lot of us are not paying attention, daze~" commented Yong Soo, the Korean nation of this meeting.

A man with short black hair and somewhat different eyes than the others nodded. "I sadly agree." Heracles Karpusi, his Greek friend, was already in deep sleep, as usual.

"Romano~" The Spaniard glomped his former lackey. He preferred to call him by his nation name.

"Get off of me!" Lovino shouted in response.

"These meetings are usually fun, aren't they, Kumajiro?" Matthew Williams asked his pet polar bear.

The mass of white fluff looked up at him, "Who?"

"I'm your owner…"

The elegant Frenchman flipped his long wavy hair. "Arthur, you are horrible at keeping your cool."

"Shut up, frog!"

Ivan Braginski quietly sat at his seat, a smile floating across this face.

A dutiful but worrisome nation of Lithuania noticed the smile. "Y-you seem to be in a good mood today." Having to work under Ivan for a while made him fear, but at the same time gave him the ability to sense, the bad presence emitting from the Russian.

He grinned at him. "Oh, don't mind me. I'm just imagining how everyone's faces will be like once they become one with me."

Yao shuddered at such grim thought. "Aiyah, again with that, aru."

"You will become one with me, right?" Ivan turned to his Chinese comrade.

"Don't come sneaking to my home in a panda suit!"

All the while that was going on, Alfred was flipping through his book. "I'll show Artie." Then something finally caught his attention. "Hah! Okay. _Ro-tu-li-go-ne-via_? What kind of thing is that?"

Arthur knew what it was for and was partially relieved at the American's dense nature. He facepalmed and sighed deeply. Yet, he was frustrated at how he had mispronounced the words. "We haven't even _officially_ started the bloody meeting and already I feel like I want to go home."

"I wanted to leave the second I saw you and your two eyebrows," Francis Bonnefoy, the Frenchie, responded, "Or should I say caterpillars?"

"Why you!"

Alfred had his epiphany moment. "Oh! _Rotuligonevia_!"

The Brit gasped. "Alfred you bloody idiot! Don't read anything out of that boo—"

A bright light appeared from the ceiling. The room fell silent for a split second and everyone turned their attention up above. Wang Long, nation of Hong Kong, slipped on his shades and enjoyed the light show; although it was nothing compared to his Symphony of Lights.

Ludwig squinted at the scene. "What have you done this time?"

"Ah!"

The nations at the meeting saw a figure fall from the circle of light and onto the center of the table. When they thought that that was it, another figure fell down besides the first, splitting the grand table in half. The light disappeared with a flash and the room went dead silent.

The second girl got up on her knees. "Ow…"

The first girl rubbed the back of her head. "Okay, what tractor ran over my head..?"

"I just wanted soda…" The second girl noticed the awkward buzz in the room and looked up, finding about forty people around them. Panic ran down her spine. "Err…"

"What's up?" Her friend soon realized the foreign room as well. "Uhhh…"

"Did Carl's have a secret underground lair…?" Kiki scooted closer to the first girl.

She surveyed the premises. "I think we have been kidnapped."

"Either way… where are we?"

A snicker broke the silence. "It worked!" Alfred rejoiced. He honestly did not expect anything to work but things turned out for the better, at least for his part.

Arthur went up to him and smacked his head. "You just caused something horrible and you're happy about it?"

The second girl pointed at them with a trembling finger. "I-is that..?"

Ludwig facepalmed and shook his head. Alfred had yet again succeeded to screw something up.

Feliciano peered curiously over the German's shoulder. "Oh~ Surprise guests?"

The taller girl blinked at the scene. "Uhh… I am horribly lost."

Yong Soo decided to surprise attack his brother. "Aniki~" He glomped the Chinese nation. "I want food, daze~"

The girl held her breath and whispered to Kiki. "Oh god… Please don't tell me…"

Her friend gasped and whispered back. "Contain yourself…"

"Easier said than done…"

"You have to send them back!" Arthur shouted at Alfred.

"How can I send them back?"

Kiki flinched at the sudden uproar. She was not used to loud voices, with the exception of her friend's of course. In the meantime, the first girl was staring at the two bickering brothers.

The Frenchman came up to them and extended a helping hand. "Now now, let's not leave these two lovely ladies sitting in a pile of broken wood."

The girl with long hair recognized the man. "Oh my god, it's Francis."

"Ah~ you know of me?" He flipped his soft looking hair.

"Yeah, as in the perverted freak that deserves to die in flames."

Francis pretended to get hit and threw a dramatic fit. "Oh~ an arrow right to my heart."

She scoffed. "Why not send ten thousand more?"

Kiki just sat there and watched the two. A sweatdrop ran down her head, and then she noticed someone coming over.

The Korean bumped Francis to the side and faced the first girl. "Do you need help, daze?"

She responded with an eye twitch and turned to her friend. "Kiki…"

"Yes..?"

"Is that who I think it is?"

"I believe so."

Yong Soo just stood there, waiting for an answer; clueless to what was coming for him. In a flash, the girl glomped him and locked him in a death hug.

"Can't… breathe!" The nation tried to move but it was just a futile effort.

Yao shook his head. "Karma; I will go with that, aru."

"I probably should have given him a warning." Kiki scratched her head and watched as her friend squeezed the life out of him.

She squealed and hugged harder. "It's Korea!"

"One…and…only…!"

"My heritage nation!" she squealed again.

Kiki sighed and tried to have her friend let go of him. "He's starting to go blue."

"Ve~ Yong Soo can change colors."

The Japanese nation, Kiku Honda, turned to his Italian friend. "I do not think that is a good thing."

The girl finally let go and Yong Soo inhaled a deep take of air. "I can finally breathe, daze…"

She scratched her head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that."

The nation flapped his oversized sleeve at her. "No worries."

"Satisfied?" asked Kiki. She knew that her friend was a major fan of Yong Soo and was afraid that something like this would happen.

She nodded. "Oh, by the way, I'm Jacklin but you can call me Jack or Jackie for short." She directed attention to her friend. "And this is my best friend…"

The shorter girl blushed at the sudden attention. "I-I'm Maki but she calls me Kiki."

Jackie sighed. "You're way too shy for your own good, Kiki."

Maki hid behind her friend. "But there are so many people here."

She looked at Yong Soo and then back at her. "Do you see me getting freaked out?"

"You're not me!"

Francis waved his hand. "Now now, let's not fight over me, mes cheris."

In the background, Alfred and Arthur were still arguing.

"What do you mean I have to take care of them?" shouted the young American.

Ivan, who was listening in on them the whole time just smiled. "Would make sense." He simply wanted Alfred to be troubled. After all, he has always enjoyed watching other people suffer.

Arthur crossed his arms, showing that he was being serious. "You are the one who brought them here! Until you send them back, they are to be stuck with you."

Jackie looked at Maki. "Do I have to live in a house full of hamburgers and video games?" She made a face. "I'd rather live with Ludwig and Gilbert than to stand in that mess." Her friend nodded in agreement.

"Hey! What's wrong with that?" questioned the American.

The long haired friend put a hand on her hip. "Dude, eating hamburgers all day will make you fat."

"Does not!" he challenged, "Look at me!" He stood up tall to show that he was not flabby with fat.

"I heard you gained five pounds last week," whispered Ivan. Quiet laughter sprouted throughout the room.

"Did not!" Alfred pounded on the table. Ivan just giggled for his amusement.

"If I had a choice, then I'd rather stay with Kiku…" Maki commented to Jackie.

She fixed her cap. "I think we should talk about the main issue here."

"Which would be?"

"Where in the world we are."

At that, Ludwig stood from his seat and presented himself. "To answer that, you two are in the middle of a World Conference held in Italy." His booming voice and accent fought through the loud and scattered chatter throughout the room.

Jackie's jaws dropped. "How the heck did we end up in Italy?"

"Ve~ Benvenuti in Italia~"

"Yes, thank you, Feliciano," said Jackie. He smiled gleefully in satisfaction.

The Swiss was getting really impatient with this whole thing and something was bugging him, being overly protective and all. He slammed his fist on the table. "Is anybody else finding this suspicious?"

"Does anybody else think that Vash shouldn't yell?" shouted Jackie.

"Or you…" Maki said to herself.

"I heard that, Kiki."

A younger girl sitting beside Vash turned to her brother. "What do you mean, bruder?"

He recollected himself, knowing that he probably had set a bad example for his sister. "How is it possible that they know about us so well when we haven't disclosed any information?"

The Spanish nation propped his elbows onto the table and rested his chin on his hands. "Si, that is strange. But they seem fun so do we really have to worry?"

Alfred scoffed. "They're obviously psychic cyborgs from the future."

"Too much sci-fi, Alfred…" said his quiet Canadian brother.

Jackie laughed at the comment. "No, I came from a blue telephone booth." Arthur in the back chuckled for he knew what she was referencing.

Maki smirked at him. "Psychic cyborgs? Really?"

Her friend turned to her. "Do you want to explain?" She frantically shook her head 'no'.

"Aww, it's okay. You can tell us." Feliciano gave her a reassuring smile.

"Ehh…" She hid behind Jackie. "Flip a coin. If it's heads then I will explain."

"Okay!" Jackie took out a quarter from her jeans pocket and flipped it. It landed on heads and she grinned at her.

"Oh what?... Really? Do I have to?" she asked desperately.

"You're the one who came up with the idea," Jackie said casually.

"Okay…" she sighed in defeat. "In this 'other world' we come from, you guys are all in an anime."

"Anime?" Kiku cocked his head to the side. Anime was his specialty but he had never heard of this occurrence. Several eyes directed toward him and he ducked behind his meeting notes.

"Yes… I guess systems are a bit different here…" Maki rubbed the back of her neck. "You guys are from this anime called 'Axis Powers Hetalia', and being big fans, we know pretty much all that there is to know about you all." Chatter of mixed reactions built up but Ludwig hushed them.

"So in this 'other world', we are mere characters created by someone?" he asked. Maki and Jackie nodded at the same time.

Feliciano raised a hand. "But how can we be in an anime if we're right here?"

"I wish I knew…" Jackie smiled innocently. "But either way, it looks like we are stuck here until _someone_ sends us back." All heads turned to the Brit.

"Oh, no no no no no!" He pulled Alfred up to him. "This bloody fool is the one who brought them here. It has to be _him_ who has to send them back."

"Kirkland…" Ludwig sighed. "You are the only one who knows magic so it is your responsibility to send them back."

He frowned and stood his ground. Everyone looked at him expectantly and he eventually fell under pressure. "Fine! It's for my own good, not yours, because there can't be two girls from another world running about in our world."

"Hey!" Jackie shouted at him, "What's wrong with that?"

"You will never know what will happen, young lady!"

"Don't be such a barrel!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

The American cracked up. "Good one!"

The tall Swedish nation was also amused, for one of his citizens was referenced.

"Where in the world did 'barrels' come from?" The Brit shook his head. "Anyhow, don't do anything irresponsible while you two are here."

Maki placed a hand on her friend's shoulder dutifully. "I will be sure to keep an eye on her."

"We won't—Hey! What do you mean 'keep an eye on her'?" Jackie started hitting her shoulder.

The German nation pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed heavily and stood up once again. "Meeting is over. You are all released to go." Once people started to exit, he turned to the two girls. "You two are to remain in the building until everyone had filed out."

Maki nodded obediently. "Yes si—"

"What? Ah, nah, nah, nah, no!" Jackie frowned. "There is no way I am going to be staying in a world meeting room when I am starving! Even if it's a short while."

"That is not my problem," Ludwig said in a finalized tone.

"Uhh… Yeah it is!" screeched Jackie.

Maki decided to step up and walked up to the nation. "S-she will not stay quiet if she does not eat something… Trust me."

He looked up at Jackie and saw that she was holding a pen in her hand in a seemingly threatening way. Then he turned back to Maki, who looked really nervous. He sighed in defeat and let them do whatever they pleased; as long as they behaved.

_-After the Meeting-_

"I'm surprised you're calm about this," Maki said as she looked up at her friend. They finally were able to walk out of the conference building since the crowd the nations had lessened. The Italian buzz around the town hall was very relaxed and the sun gently beamed down on them. It was a very nice place to be in.

"Yeah, well, I guess it didn't settle in yet." She shrugged. "Watch, I'll be waking up around midnight sometime in the future and I'll be like, 'Oh my god, I'm in a whole new world with Hetalia characters! Holy crap!' or something like that."

"That… sounds just like you." Her friend laughed nervously. "Things always come to you slow."

"Yeah it—hey…" Jackie stared at Maki. "What's what supposed to mean..?"

"Oh, nothing…"

"Tickle." Jackie poked Maki's side, repeatedly.

To the side, Toris and Ivan were waiting for their ride and were watching the two in the meantime.

"They seem to have a really great friendship." The brown haired nation smiled at the scene.

"Da!" Ivan smiled as well. "I can't wait until they become one with me."

Alfred jumped down several blocks of steps and landed besides the two. "You're not getting my citizens," he growled.

"Ow!" The three nations looked up to see Jackie holding her face. "That stupid wall needs to die!"

"It's not its fault if you don't pay attention," Maki tried to reason with her. Her friend had run into the wall when Maki was trying to run away from being tickled.

"Stupid wall…" Jackie punched it and left a small fist-sized dent. Then she took Maki's hand, forced it into a fist, and compared it to the dent. Her fist was slightly bigger. "Dang it, your hand is still bigger even though I'm taller."

"It's because you have small hands."

"I know; I'm complaining about nothing." Then the two broke into laughter.

Kiku Honda walked up to them, followed by Alfred, Arthur, and Yong Soo. He greeted them with a slight bow. "Since the meeting is over, would you like to join us for lunch?"

Jackie jumped in excitement. "Yes! I'm starving!"

Maki tried to settle her hyper friend down and then turned to the nations. "If it is okay with you all then sure."

_-At a restaurant-_

After everyone had their share of pasta and breadsticks, which were especially delicious because they were in Italy, Maki nudged Jackie's arm.

"Now that we're stuck here, what are we going to do?"

She shrugged as she swallowed her last bit of pasta. "Don't know, but I don't mind staying here for a while."

Arthur set his cup of tea down. "I will have to find a reverse spell for this, and they take quite a long time to find." He leered at Alfred, who was sitting across the table in front of him.

The American waved it away. "It's all good! They seem to know a ton about us so I'm totally psyched to hear more about this 'other world' they come from."

Kiku nodded in agreement and turned to the two girls. "What anime did you say we are of again?" He was really interested to know as well since he does not recall making any anime relating to the nations' lives.

"Hetalia; well, Axis Powers Hetalia," answered Jackie.

"Hetalia… 'Heta Italia'?" he murmured to himself. "Such an insulting, yet suitable, name for Feliciano-kun…" Maki and Jackie giggled while the rest were puzzled for they did not understand enough Japanese.

"So dudes," everyone looked at Alfred, "where exactly are you from?"

"South California," Jackie and Maki said in unison.

"So you guys really _are_ my citizens?" Alfred asked in shock. The comment he made to Ivan earlier was only a bluff but he was pleased that it was true. "That's… so freakin' awesome!"

Arthur rubbed his head in dismay. "More bloody Americans…" Jackie threw a jalapeno from her appetizer into his mouth, and he swallowed it. "Ah! What the bloody—" He started coughing from the sudden heat in his throat.

"I take offense to that comment," Jackie growled.

The Japanese nation leaned over to Maki in concern. "You friend is… a little…"

"I know…" she said, almost apologetically.

"Hey Kiki, guess what?" Jackie smiled at her.

"Yes?" She turned to her.

"Your face."

Maki turned back around and continued with converse with Kiku. Jackie started to turn bits of her food into missiles and threw it at her. Maki then held up an empty plate to deflect the food bits. She still continued to talk with the nation.

"Umm… Maki-san…" Kiku could not help but to be worried about this action.

"This is normal." Maki took a sip of water.

The Brit sighed. "Don't throw food, young lady." Jackie then threw her food missiles towards Arthur, including the wet mustard pieces of lettuce. "Argh! Stop throwing food at _me_!"

She just grinned. "I'm bored…"

"She really _is_ American, daze…" Yong Soo smiled awkwardly.

"Objection!" She pointed her finger like Pheonix Wright. Then she decided to throw food at Yong Soo instead. He started to throw food back her. "Food fight!" she declared.

"No cake," said Maki.

"No! I'll be a good girl." Jackie sat properly at her seat and started eating whatever that was left at the table.

Alfred was smiling happily to himself. "Yep, this is going to be fun."

Maki slightly nodded unsure if she wanted to agree with that or not. Then she realized something important. "Where are we going to stay? We don't have money or anything…"

"Le gasp! That's right." Jackie automatically turned to Yong Soo with a hopeful look on her face.

"There she goes…" her friend sighed.

"Hm?" Arthur raised a curious, and bushy, brow.

"When you look at that face, you will be reduced to saying yes to something." Maki sighed again. "It's how she got multiple Pocky cases from me."

Yong Soo looked up at everyone else and just shrugged. "I don't mind daze."

"Yay!" Jackie jumped out of her seat and hugged him from across the table.

"You have no idea what you got yourself into," Maki said to Yong Soo.

He hugged Jackie back and looked up at her, and all the while Jackie was squealing into his shirt. "What do you mean, daze?"

"'I'm sorry' is all I can and will say," she said in an apologetic tone. Yong Soo just looked puzzled, and so did everyone else.

"Where will you be staying, Maki?" asked the Korean. "You could stay with Big Brother too, daze."

She held up a hand. "No, thank you." She scanned the table and thought about each nation's backgrounds. "I think… I will stay with Ludwig… avoiding Gilbert, of course."

"Eh?" Jackie rushed up to Maki and whispered in her ear. "Make sure you get baking lessons…"

"What?"

She grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Avoid Gilbert!"

" I... Know... Stop... Shaking... Me!" Maki tried to free herself from her grasp.

"Gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen." Jackie let go and returned to hugging Yong Soo.

"Should I let Ludwig-san know about this?" asked Kiku. He was one of his closer friends so he felt the need to break the news.

"I think that would be a good idea," said Arthur, "Don't want to randomly barge in."

"Oh, why not? It'll be a party!" exclaimed Alfred.

"But that will be rude…" commented Maki.

Arthur turned to her. "You really _are_ like Kiku... Are you sure you don't want to stay with him instead?" It would make sense since she was polite and had good manners, and to top it off she was also Japanese.

Maki nodded. "I've never been to Germany before, and I'm interested in seeing other cultures outside of Japan and America."

He held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, I won't stop you, love."

…

_-Hetalia-_

**Hey hey Maki, could I have some sake? (No.)**

**Hey hey Oppa, hey hey Oppa,**

**I could never forget the taste of the cultures I've never had before!**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**I'm Jackie!**

**Ah, a cultural world**

**That could be seen with the swipe of a brush.**

**Let's have some cake! **

**Hetalia!**


	2. Chapter 2: Kidnapped

**You know what? I think all of the chapters will be at this length…**

**Enjoy chapter dos! :) And thank you for the faves, follows, and reviews~ **

**(And yes, we did create a story cover for this~)**

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Kidnapped

_ -Next morning-_

It was around 6:30 AM. Maki stirred in her sleep and suddenly was startled awake. It took a while for her to realize that she was not in her usual bed and that she was in a whole different world. The nations had allowed the girls to room at the hotel that they were staying at, on Alfred's expense since it was his fault that they were there to begin with. It was rather high-class and the two were amazed at the grand quality. They were able to sleep in very comfortable beds and had no trouble snoozing off into the next morning.

Maki looked across the room to where her friend was sleeping. She smiled at the sight since she knew that her friend was not a morning person. Maki slipped out of bed and peeked behind the curtains. It was a peaceful morning in Italy, where not very many cars or people wandered about in the streets just yet. The sky was barely turning into its usual deep blue hue. Suddenly, there was hissing noises behind her.

"The sun~ it burns!" Maki turned to her friend and realized that the light from the window hit directly to Jackie's face.

"Vampire much?" she asked her.

"Screw you, Maki!" Jackie faced the wall and buried her head under her blankets. Then she pointed her finger in the air. "I'm more like the Vashta Nerada." Then she went back to her original position.

The shorter girl let go of the curtain. "Good morning to you too…" She yawned and looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was still early but she didn't feel like going back to sleep. She went to wash up in the bathroom and changed out of the pajamas the hotel offered them and into the clothes she wore the day before, since she had nothing else to wear.

"I'll be in the dining hall to grab some breakfast…" She didn't really want to bother her friend and needed an excuse to go out of the room.

"Whatever!"

Maki tiptoed out of the room and gently closed the door behind her. The girl took forever to get to the dining area since she kept getting lost in the many hallways. She noticed the intricate details on the wall décor of the room and marveled at some of the paintings; not to mention at the smell of the food that was surprisingly already made this early in the morning.

"Whoa…" She looked at the small cakes in the display case. The details and designs really fascinated her since she enjoyed pastry making.

"Good morning."

Maki gasped from the sudden deep voice and recognized the German sitting at a table to the side. He was reading a newspaper and having what seemed to be black coffee. She straightened her posture but caught a reflection of herself in the glass. Her hair was still a bit messy and she tried to fix what she could. When she was done, she turned back to Ludwig. "G-good morning."

He nodded at her and set his paper down. "So I have heard from Kiku that you wanted to stay with me, ja?"

Maki timidly nodded. "Yes sir… i-if it's not a problem with y-you..." She couldn't help but to feel nervous. She was shy and that was it, especially right now since Jackie wasn't with her.

"No, it's alright." He took off his reading glasses.

She smiled in relief and bowed to him. "Thank you very much."

He was pleased with her manners, which was much like his Japanese friend's. "Although I am not sure about my bruder…"

"Good morning~" Feliciano skipped into the hall and joined the two at the table.

Kiku walked in as well. "Ohayougozaimasu." They all bid each other a 'good morning'.

The German stood up from his chair and placed his green military-styled cap on his head. "Now that you are here, Honda, we can start training."

Feliciano set his glass of orange juice down. "Ve?"

Ludwig shifted his blue eyes to Maki. "You too." She pointed to herself in question and he nodded. "And your friend as well."

A sweatdrop ran down her head. "I… don't know how she will handle that…" Jackie was a lot like Honey and Kyouya from Ouran High School Host Club, and just as vicious.

The Italian lowered his face to her ear. "You two can come to my hiding place…"

She laughed a little. "She isn't exactly the type that likes physical activities…"

"It doesn't matter. She still has to get up and join us." Ludwig crossed his arms impatiently.

Maki hung her head in dismay. "I will go get her then…" She quickly returned to her room and found her friend still asleep.

She poked at the figure under the blankets. "Wake up…" Jackie moved to her side, facing the wall. She poked her again. "It's morning…"

Her friend then greeted her with a scowl. "You know what happens when I wake up too early."

Maki held up her hands in defense. "I know, I know." She turned her head to the side. "…though the last one up doesn't get Pocky…"

"…What flavor?"

"Strawberry…"

At that, Jackie immediately got up.

Maki smiled at the result, "See ya outside," and left the room to return to the dining hall.

Jackie growled and lazily got out of the bed to go to the bathroom. "I hate you, Maki…"

She took her time to get dressed and wash up and joined the others about fifteen minutes later. She trudged into the dining room and saw Ludwig, Kiku, Feliciano, and Maki sitting at a table, casually conversing. They were all waiting for her and somehow directed their conversation into the topic of breakfast foods.

Jackie made a one-eighty on her heels. "…I'm going back to sleep."

Feliciano noticed the girl. "Aw~ why?"

She shot a glare at the Italian. He shrieked in fear and cowered behind his German friend.

Maki rested her chin on her hand. "Come on, you can't sleep forever." She was afraid that this was going to happen. You should never wake up someone from the wrong side of bed, especially the type that hates early mornings.

Her eyes directed themselves to her friend. "I… Am… Not… A… Morning… Person!"

The smaller girl sighed and shook her Pocky box. "It's a shame…"

Jackie gave Maki and the box a death glare. "I hate you sometimes, Maki…" The said girl only beamed at her. "What's the deal now, Maki? I do what to get that box of Pocky?"

Her friend glanced at the Axis nations, who only looked confused at the situation at hand. She shrugged and looked back at Jackie. "You have to join us for the training session."

The taller girl froze and one of her eye twitched. "What?"

"It's just for today since you're going to stay with Yong Soo later anyway." Maki set the box down and looked at her friend, pleadingly.

Jackie growled and muttered dark things under her breath. She finally drew the nerves to give in. "Fine."

Feliciano hopped out of his hiding spot and cheered. "Yay! It will be fun~"

"The things someone would do for Pocky…" Kiku had wondered why Maki wanted him to give her a box of the snack. He was amazed at how that drove her friend into agreeing to do the training.

Maki laughed nervously. "She would do a lot more things for anything Korean-related." She turned to the bulky blue-eyed nation. "So when is this training starting?"

Ludwig pulled out something from his pocket. "Right now." He blew on his whistle. "Move it!"

Feliciano and Kiku made their way outside to a large field. It seemed to be meant for a soccer game or something of that sort. Maki took off her red flannel and decided to run in her gray tank top.

Jackie trudged up to her friend and glowered at her. "I hate you, Maki."

She smiled innocently. "Love you too."

_-After the jog-_

Jackie, out of breath, collapsed on the table back in the dining hall. "We… are… finally done..." They had just finished about ten laps around the field. She held up a hand. "Give me that Pocky box."

Maki was in normal condition, although slightly out of breath. She stretched her legs so that she wouldn't be sore later. When she was done, she turned to Ludwig, who came inside after Feliciano and Kiku. He was in perfect condition for that jog was nothing compared to his usual drills.

"Was that all?" asked Maki. She wanted to make sure that there was nothing more so she could reward her friend with the promised snack.

He shook his head 'no'. "You have done well; more than your friend over there."

Jackie gave him the finger but Maki managed to block it with the Pocky box. Her friend cheered and happily took her reward.

"Do you like to exercise?" Feliciano handed Maki a towel and a glass of water.

She took his offer and had a nice, long drink. When she was done, she wiped her mouth with the towel. "It depends, but I like being active." She had a feeling that the trait would come in handy for when she was to stay at Ludwig's house later on.

"I hate you sometimes…" jeered Jackie, who was lying on her stomach on the ground. She nibbled on her strawberry Pocky.

"Are you sure?" Maki presented a second box.

Her long-haired friend sat up. "Where do you keep your stash of Pocky?"

She shrugged. "It's a secret." At home she kept it in a hidden place in the pantry but this time, Kiku has been conveniently providing for her. She decided that she would owe him later, big time.

Jackie took the box. "You b—"

"Language, young lady."

"Dude, Pocky!"

Arthur and Alfred came into the dining hall. The time was about eight-thirty and the make-up World Conference was to start in about an hour.

Ludwig nodded them as acknowledgment and confronted the two girls. "We have a World Meeting to start and finish since we have not properly started it yesterday."

"Aww… I don't wanna~" whined Feliciano.

The Japanese nation placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We can have a nice friendly lunch afterwards."

"Okay~ let's have pasta!"

Jackie decided that this didn't apply to her. "Well, I'm staying here and goof off." She took a bite of her Pocky but found herself eating air instead. She looked up at Alfred, who had taken her snack. "Hey! That's mine!"

Arthur frowned at the American's act. "Stop messing around, it's almost time to leave. Go get a proper breakfast."

"Aww…" Alfred returned it to Jackie, who stuck her tongue at him.

The German faced the girls. "You two are to come as well."

Jackie pouted. "Why?"

"We need to be able to keep an eye on you two and cannot risk anymore trouble to occur."

Maki nodded at him. "Yes sir."

The second girl just scoffed. "I wish you luck, especially since I had Pocky."

Her friend groaned and facepalmed. "I didn't think we were going to the meeting too… Didn't think this one through…" Bad things usually happen when Jackie had her share of Pocky; except she had two boxes so multiply the chaos by two.

_-At the meeting-_

When everyone had settled in their designated seats, Alfred automatically presented himself to the front of the room. "Okay! Let's start the meeting!"

"With no distractions this time if you will…" added Ludwig.

Alfred went on and on about something. The two girls had seated themselves next to the Nordics.

Jackie slammed her head on the table. "Okay, I'm bored already."

Maki tried to attentively listen in on the conference but her friend kept playing with her hand. She decided to give her paper and pen for some distraction. The older girl kept her head down on the table and started to blindly draw on the given paper.

The bubbly nation of Finland noticed her and leaned over to Maki. "What is she drawing?"

She glanced over and raised a brow. "It looks like…" She cocked her head to the side. "I think it's an island..?"

"Is she really not looking at the paper?" Tino was still fascinated at how smoothly Jackie was drawing even though she had not even lifted her head once. Some other nations around them turned their attention to her as well and the same chatter spread around.

She set her pen down and turned the paper upside down. "Tada… it's a teddy bear."

Maki laughed nervously and rested her chin on her hand. "I don't see why we couldn't have just waited at the hotel." She was also starting to feel a little bored since nothing in the meeting was making sense for her.

"Exactly my point, Maki."

"Maybe we could ask to leave during one of those meeting breaks or whatever they are." She started to doodle a random background for the teddy bear.

Jackie finally lifted her head off the table. She set her chin down on it instead. "Mehhhhh… I want a Stephano." Maki started to draw Stephano next to the bear.

"So that's why I think we should make a superhero!" Alfred whacked his pen on the whiteboard, which was full of scribbles and drawings.

"Again with that nonsense?" said the Brit impatiently.

"Why not?"

The Swiss nation shook his head. "You cannot make a decent idea…"

Yao rubbed his temples and also shook his head. "You make way too many superhero films, aru."

"Nope!" Jackie abruptly raised her hand. "He makes too many horror films that have no plot."

"Hey!" shouted the American.

She turned to him. "Dude, you have the best graphics in any movie though."

"That is not true!" the room resounded simultaneously.

Jackie shrugged. "Check the internet."

"Films originated in me, daze~" Yong Soo randomly commented. He was also bored and wanted to continue the off-topic debate since it was much more interesting than what was being discussed earlier.

The long-haired friend turned to Maki in desperation. "I am so bored… You think something is going to happen? You know, in the quiet of the storm?"

She had absentmindedly made a lotus out of the paper they were doodling on. "Probably, maybe, I dunno." She set the flower down on the table but it flew out of her hands as a slam of the door was heard.

"Buwahahahahaha!" Jackie and Maki jumped in their seats from the sudden outburst. "The Awesome Me is here!"

Ludwig hung his head. "Mein gott…" He couldn't believe that yet another thing had to prevent the nations from having a successful World Conference.

"I only have a guess…" Jackie craned her neck to see past the people in front of her and spotted the albino German. "Yep, I thought as much."

Gilbert leapt on top of the table in the middle of the room. "Okay, I have a little something for all of ya'!" He grabbed some spheres from his pocket and threw them onto the floor. Smoke immediately engulfed the room. Coughing and confusion ensued throughout the hall.

"What do you think you are doing, you imbecile?" The Austrian coughed into his handkerchief and tried to spot the said 'imbecile'.

Jackie scanned blindly around the room and suddenly felt herself being lifted by someone. She quickly looked to see who it was and the figure winked at her. "What the heck you freaking pervert!"

Maki turned to where her friend was before. "Jackie?" She took a step but was also lifted before she could go any further. She gasped and recognized a guy with messy brown hair. "A-Antonio? What are you doing?"

Jackie struggled but the person kept a firm grip on her. "You effing freaks! What are you doing?"

"Dude, my citizens!" Alfred frantically shouted. He tried to make his way in the thick smoke. The Prussian may have used one too many smoke bombs.

"Bruder!" Ludwig only got the chirps from his brother's little bird in response. Gilbert was already long gone from the building.

Jackie threw a fit. "Stop touching me, you French frog!" She did not want to trust Francis anywhere near her but now that he had his hands on her, she was pissed. "Put me down right now or I'll have the barrels kill you with their bro calling abilities!"

"You bloody frog!" Arthur growled and tried to find him.

Maki attempted to consult with the Spaniard but he just gave her his usual cheery smile. "Don't worry senoritas, we don't hurt you." And at that, the two were hauled out of the conference room, leaving the rest of the nations in blind chaos.

_-Outside of the main building-_

The Prussian waved his hands at his two companions. "Hurry up before they realize we're outside!"

Antonio and Francis managed to catch up to the car Gilbert was waiting at. Jackie was still cursing the Frenchie while Maki was trying to absorb the whole situation.

"W-what are you guys going to do?" she finally had to nerve to ask. She knew that nothing good amounted when the Bad Touch Trio was present.

The two girls were put into the car and Antonio sat in the back with them while Francis took shotgun. The albino started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

Francis winked at Maki from the rear view mirror. "We just want to spend time with you, lovely ladies."

The Spaniard gave her a reassuring smile. "Nothing bad senorita."

The smaller girl swallowed and turned to Jackie for comfort, but also since she was unusually quiet. Her eyes widened. Her friend was out cold. Now that she thought about it, she recalled that Francis had accidentally slammed her head when he closed the car door.

Maki turned back to the trio "Look at what you did!"

Francis shifted in his seat and placed a hand over hers. His deep blue colored eyes met her dark brown eyes. "I am sorry, but there is no need to yell, ma cherie."

The girl blushed and looked down at her lap. "I'm sorry…"

She felt a hand pat her head and she traced the arm to Antonio. "No need to be sad. Once she has rested, I believe she will be right back on her feet."

Maki looked at him and then at Jackie. "I guess so…" Her friend never had trouble recovering, especially from head injuries, so why would she worry now? Then again, she still had to worry because they were basically kidnapped by the Bad Touch Trio…

_-Back at the meeting-_

All of the windows were opened and after a while, the smoke cleared from the conference room. With fresh air in their lungs, the nations settled back into their seats. Alfred, Ludwig, and Arthur were distraught.

"Dude, that was not cool!" Alfred pointed at the German. "Your brother kidnapped my citizens!"

Arthur scowled. "Again, I feel as though I want to be home when we had barely gone through the meeting."

Yao took a sip of some oolong tea. "I had a feeling that something was missing, aru." He did not recall seeing Francis or Antonio enter the room. He even checked behind the curtains to make sure that the Frenchie would not surprise him like he did before.

Ludwig shook his head. "I apologize on behalf of my irresponsible bruder…" He knew he should have chained the door so that Gilbert wouldn't leave the house, or at least had called him to get an idea of where he was.

"I am not surprised that the bloody frog was involved," Arthur said with a frown. He too had wondered why Francis was not present even though he saw him in the morning.

"Ve~ I wonder if they are going to a place with pasta."

"Here I was wondering where that tomato freak was…"

"I wonder where they went, daze."

"Hai, I wonder about that as well."

Ivan tried to give them a comforting smile. "I'm sure they will be fine."

Feliciano nodded. "Of course~ they _are_ with Big Brother Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert. They are a lot of fun so I don't think they would do anything too bad, right?"

Silence buzzed in the room. Then almost immediately, worried chatter erupted everywhere.

Arthur stood from his seat. "We have to find those blimey idiots."

Lovino tipped back in his chair. He grimaced. "I might know where they are…" Everyone turned to the South Italian. They were in Italy after all and he had a feeling that there was only one place that the trio would have gone.

_-Somewhere in Italy-_

"Oh my god! That is an amazing view!" Jackie marveled at the magnificent view from the patio screen.

The two were taken to Antonio's second home. He spent a lot of time with the Italian brothers, namely Lovino, so he decided to buy a house near the brothers' home. After some ice, Jackie finally woke up and leapt right to her feet.

Maki slowly approached the screen window. "Whoa…"

Jackie shook her shoulder excitedly. "Nee, nee, Kiki-chan. Get me some paper and pencil."

Her friend smiled, relieved that she was back to herself. Maki turned to Antonio, who brought them all some drinks. "Do you have some paper and pencil she could use?"

He cocked his head. "Why is that senorita?"

In the back, Jackie was jumping up and down like a little girl in a candy store. "I want to draw!"

Maki pointed her thumb at her. "That's why."

Francis took a sip of his wine and smiled warmly at the two girls. "It is nice to see you lovely ladies having a great time."

Gilbert emerged from the kitchen. "Dude, you're out of beer!" He grabbed a can of soda instead and slumped into the armchair. The Spaniard apologized to him and handed the requested items to Maki, all with his goofy smile.

She passed it along to her friend. "Have fun."

"Woo!" Jackie stepped out to the patio and started drawing at the table. Maki also went outside and snapped a picture of the scenery with her iPhone. Jackie was the traditional artist while she preferred digital art, mostly photography.

Antonio seated himself on the couch and Francis rested his chin on his shoulder, overlooking the patio. The brown haired nation grinned at them. "They already seem like they fit into this world."

"Oui, it doesn't seem like they are out of place."

The Prussian crushed his empty can and tossed it on the table. "Oi, I thought we kidnapped them to find out more stuff about that other world!" He knew West was going to kill him as soon as he got home so he wanted to pull as much information as he could from the two before then.

Maki was satisfied and decided to leave her friend in peace. She returned inside. "You have a very nice place, Antonio."

The Spaniard smiled at her. "Gracias senorita."

"Oi, what is your friend drawing?" Gilbert could not care less but he did not want to go off on the wrong foot with the two before questioning them. Maki was about to answer but then she was cut short.

"Done! Kiki-chan, take a look, please!"

The shorter friend went back outside, followed by the trio. She smiled at the drawing while the three behind her gasped in amazement.

Francis leaned closer to have a better look. "My, that looks…"

Maki did a small clap. "It looks great, Jackie-chan."

Her friend looked at the drawing and then back at her. "Anything out of my normal stuff? I think it's a bit sloppier."

"Hmm… it does look a little sloppy but it's probably because you're not using your usual stuff."

Antonio cocked his head. "Sloppier than normal? Really?"

Maki nodded. "If you've seen her other work then you would probably agree."

"It's very impressive nonetheless." Francis was pleased at her artistic talent since he enjoyed art himself.

"Oi, so what's your freakin' world like?" Everyone turned to the Prussian.

"Err…" Maki tried to come up with an answer to the sudden question. She had a feeling that it would be difficult living with him later on since he seemed to get bored very easily.

The Frenchie flipped his blond hair. "That was a little rude."

Gilbert just shrugged. "I got tired of waiting." It was true. He wanted to ask ever since they were in the car.

The tomato lover just laughed. "That's Gil for you."

Jackie set her pencil down. "Well, our world is pretty much the same thing here. Only one fact stands; you guys don't exist in our world. The same blue sky, the same blue ocean, the same… everything basically." Maki nodded as support.

Francis raised a hand. "So does that mean you make—"

"Oi! Tomato freak! You here?"

Antonio peeked inside from the screen door. "Looks like they found us~"

Lovino marched into the house, followed by several other nations. "What the crapola is wrong with you guys?"

"Just taking out little angels on a field trip~" Francis put an arm around Maki since she was the closest.

"Bruder!"

The Prussian shrieked and hid behind Antonio. "Crap!"

Maki laughed nervously and made her way out of the Frenchman's grasp. She turned to Jackie but realized that she wasn't at the patio anymore. She looked around and saw that she was on the couch sleeping, catching up with the sleep she deserved.

"Really?"

…

_-Hetalia-_

**Hey hey Jackie, could I have some soda? **

**Hey hey Kiku, hey hey Kiku,**

**I could never forget the taste of the new world that I randomly fell into! **

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**I'm Maki!**

**Ah, a brand new world**

**That you could go to because of America. **

**Let's just enjoy our time!**

**Hetalia!**


	3. Chapter 3: A Bucket Fell On My Head

**Stuff happens as the two girls head out to their host nations' homes. **

**This chapter is Jackie's side of the story, written by EliteKessu (would explain the different writing style) and edited by Miracle.**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

A Bucket Fell On My Head- Jackie

After the whole kidnapping incident, everybody went back to the World Meeting and continued what they had intended to do in the first place—conduct a decent, regulated meeting that actually stayed on topic. Ludwig found it fit that the two girls stay out of the room as long as they behaved, with some supervision by the building's staff.

It was around five and the two girls were just relaxing at the dining table. Jackie had stolen Kiku's Nintendo DS and was busy playing a game, while Maki had just been designing cakes on a piece of paper.

"Hey Kiki-chan."

The shorter friend jumped at the sudden disturbance of the quiet moment. "Yes?"

Jackie didn't look up from the game she was playing. "How long you think we will be here?"

"I don't know." Maki shrugged. "Until Arthur sends us back?"

"Okay." Jackie sighed. Then she closed the DS. "I can't believe they dragged us back here. I am getting really bored."

"Yeah… but I'm surprised that everything went smoothly." The Japanese girl did not expect everyone to calmly go through the meeting again, for the third time. They were either really patient people or really used to interruptions.

"Hey, what do you think the nation's houses are going to be like?" Jackie started to scribble on the piece of paper that Maki was just drawing on.

"Well I guess that Yong-Soo's house will probably be traditional and full of games and Korean dramas." Maki shrugged.

"What about Ludwig's house?"

"Very clean and tidy, I bet."

"I could only guess."

"_MEETING DISSMISSED!"_

Both girls looked up at the conference room's large doors. They swung open and all of the Hetalia nations filed out. They were minding their own businesses, thankful for finally being able to go home, while a few passed by the girls to say hello. The taller friend casually held out the DS as Kiku swept by. In the meantime, Yong-Soo scanned the heads of the people until he spotted Jackie at the table as the Japanese man got out of the way.

He slipped through the forty or so other people in the room and reached the table the two girls were at. "Ready to go, da ze?" he asked his would-be-guest with a smile.

Jackie looked excitedly up at Yong-Soo. "In a bit!"

"Okay, I'll be waiting outside~." The Korean made his way out of the building.

The taller girl turned to Maki. "Well I gotta go. Make sure you avoid Gilbert at all times. You have no idea what he might do."

Her friend, metaphorically, sweat dropped at the comment in response because she knew that it was true. "I will. Have fun."

"Laters."

The smaller girl waved goodbye to her best friend and watched as she scampered out the door. Maki then stopped and wondered if she was going to cling onto Yong-Soo for the whole day.

-_Outside_-

Jackie walked out of the World Meeting Building to search for her heritage nation. She was half Korean and half American after all. She finally found Yong-Soo standing next to a silver Hyundai. He was talking to Yao, who looked a little flustered.

Jackie was about to call out her heritage nation's name when something wet fell on top of her head. She glanced up and suddenly spotted a bucket of water fall onto her face.

"What the-?" Jackie pulled the bucket off of her head and returned her attention to where it had fallen from. A Danish man was looking down with an 'oh-crap' look on his face. Then he ran off.

"Are you okay, aru?" Yao asked her. He had hurried to the scene when he heard the splash of the water.

The girl nodded her head. "Yeah; I'm just soaked right now." She took off her grey cap and squeezed some water out of it.

"That looked like it hurt, da ze," Yong-Soo said in a worried tone. He could not believe that someone would do such a thing to her.

"Nah." Jackie just waved her hand. "I have a hard head so there's nothing to worry about." She shivered a little as a breeze swept by.

"But you cannot go anywhere in wet clothes, aru." Yao pointed out.

"Well what else am I supposed to wear?" Jackie did have a point. Not once did anybody suspect that Alfred would be able to magically teleport two teenage girls from their world into the Hetalia world; and right in the middle of a World Meeting as well. Nor did they expect the American to actually accomplish something during a meeting other than driving the others to annoyance.

Jackie shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe I could just borrow somebody's jacket or something."

Yong-Soo shook his head vigorously. "That is not enough, da ze~. You have nothing else to wear anyway so Oppa will take you shopping."

"Huh?" Jackie tilted her head.

"He is right, aru." China sadly admitted. "You will catch a cold."

"So let's go!" Yong-Soo smiled. With Italy being big on fashion, he knew the perfect place that they could go.

Jackie just watched in pure confusion as her heritage nation opened the door of his car. This was pretty much one of those times where she felt so awkward. She normally doesn't go out with other people besides her best friend. Now she was going to go shopping with Korea and China of Hetalia. You'd figure that a fangirl would be spazzing but no. This was just plain awkward.

"Uhhh . . ." Jackie scratched the back of her head. "You have money?"

The atmosphere suddenly froze in realization. Yao looked at Yong-Soo who was locked in place. Jackie laughed nervously at the tension.

"You DO have money, right, aru?" Yao raised his brow. Yong-Soo could only laugh along nervously.

The Chinese nation walked up to him and pinched both of his cheeks. Then in one giant pull of both of his hands, Yao stretched them out. Jackie had the sudden urge to "BOOT HIS FACE", courtesy of Pewdiepie.

"You were the one who suggested shopping, aru!"

"I thought you might let me borrow some money, da ze~." A small trickle of a tear fell from his eye.

"I DO NOT HAVE EUROS, ARU!" Jackie then finger jabbed the side of the Chinese nation's neck where a convenient pressure point was at. "AIYAH!" Yao turned to the girl, who was smiling like an idiot. "What was that for, aru?"

"You were hurting my heritage nation!" Jackie growled. She was not pleased.

"Well, I'm sorry, aru but he made an offer that he can't even do himself." The temporary paralysis wore off and the elder nation crossed his arms in his sleeves.

The girl before him was still growling.

"_OW! OW! OW! OW!"_

Yao turned to where the loud screams were coming from. Jackie and Yong-Soo followed suit. They were surprised to see a Norwegian dragging a Danish man by the ear; towards their direction, no doubt.

"Is something wrong, aru?" Yao asked the two of them. It was unusual for them to confront them since they barely had business with each other nowadays.

"This idiot dumped water." Lukas, the Norwegian nation, pulled more on the other Nordic's ear.

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" the Dane cried in pain.

"I can't believe you did that to my little sister, da ze!" Yong-Soo frowned.

Jackie was just giving the Dane a death glare. Dan, the nation of Denmark, jumped back at the sudden black aura that the girl was giving out.

The man with dull blue eyes frowned at Dan. "Do something about it."

"What do you want me to do about it?" The nation with wild blonde hair fanned his swollen red ear.

Yong-Soo looked at Jackie, who was staring out into space, and then at the situation at hand. He thought of a solution to the earlier issue and gave off a big giant grin.

"BUY HER NEW CLOTHES!"

Everybody, including Jackie, stared at the Korean with wide eyes. Only two out of the four people agreed to the idea. The Dane had his jaw to the ground while Jackie was just plain confused.

"That sounds reasonable, aru." Yao nodded. _Wait, when did Yong-Soo became so . . . ._

"Wait! She's American, right?" Dan shouted while pointing his finger at the said American. "Don't American girls like to buy a lot of clothes?"

"She is _Korean_ American." Yong-Soo boasted.

"But still . . ."

"Nah, it's okay." Jackie smiled. "If you really don't want to spend any money then I could just borrow a jacket and wear that for the rest of the day."

Yao, Yong-Soo and Lukas stared at Dan. He, figuratively, sweatdropped.

"Oh, don't worry about me." She patted the Dane's shoulder. "I really don't mind. I'm sure I can stay a few more hours in my wet clothes until they dry up. It's seriously no biggie."

Yao, Yong-Soo, and Lukas stared at him again.

The Norwegian waved his hands back and forth like he did to his little brother when they heard about the DNA check. "Well?"

Jackie sneezed.

Dan sighed and gave into defeat. "Okay, fine."

"Good choice, aru." Yao praised the Dane. Lukas even nodded in agreement although the taller Nordic looked like he was not enjoying the choice he had made. It seemed like a dark cloud had loomed over his happiness, similar to how Tamaki was growing mushrooms in the corner of the room.

Jackie stared at the sudden praise to Dan. "Huh?" She turned to Yong-Soo, who was standing next to her with a wide smile on his face. "Did I miss something?"

Yong-Soo patted her head. "Don't worry about it, da ze." Then he noticed her hair. "That's right; your hair is all wet too, da ze."

"Well duh." Jackie put her hands on her hips. "A bucket did fall on my head after all."

Yao, Yong-Soo and Lukas stared at Dan again.

"I GET IT ALREADY!" He pouted.

"I am lost again."

But instead of clearing things up for her, Yong-Soo just smiled. Jackie couldn't help but to smile back.

_-At the mall-_

"Wow, this is bigger than the mall in my home town," Jackie said in amazement.

The mall in America was nothing compared to the shopping center that was conveniently near the conference building. Not only was it architecturally stunning and unique but there was so many more floors and stores.

"Really?" Yong-Soo cocked his head at her.

"Yeah," somehow Jackie seemed excited to be here, "the mall that I'm used to is only two stories and not a lot of stores are open."

"That's because of bad business, aru."

"I guess." Jackie shrugged.

Somewhere behind the three Asians, Dan had his head drooped in dismay. Lukas had to accompany him because of the disasters that could happen if he wasn't there. With the Norwegian being familiar with magic like Arthur, he understood that anything could happen if chaos erupted with any of the two girls. So far there seemed to be no problems with either of the two at all, at least for Jackie's since they did not know where Maki was. Evidently, the older friend had misplaced her phone somewhere and decided to find it later.

"There goes my Euros," the Dane cried figuratively.

"You were the one who dumped the bucket of water on her head."

"I KNOW I OWE HER!" he shouted. Jackie, Yong-Soo, and Yao looked back at the Europeans. "BUT SHE'S GOING TO BUY A BUNCH OF STUFF AND IT'S GOING TO DRAIN MY EURO FAST! I EVEN LOANED MY TRENCH COAT TO HER AND SHE MIGHT NOT THINK THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Yao turned to the girl in question. "Are you really the type to shop, aru?"

"Nah, not really. I mean I live in a house with two brothers and two sisters plus a sickly mother. I have to get jobs to help support the family and all so it's rare for me to go shopping for myself, period."

"You do, da ze?"

"Nah." Jackie laughed. "I only have one brother and a workaholic mother."

The dull-eyed Nordic shot a glance at Dan. "Clothes, now."

"I know, I know." He abruptly turned to Jackie, which startled her. "Okay, so you get whatever you want, on me."

"Okay!" Jackie smiled.

"There goes my Euros," the Dane whispered. He really wanted to go out drinking later that day but it looked like he was going to have to wait another week.

"Let's go to that store!" Yong-Soo smiled as he pointed to some random shop full of clothing in Jackie's current style.

_-Several stores later-_

Jackie stretched her arms out with five bags in both hands. Lukas held two bags and was walking besides Dan and Yao. The girl with long hair was up ahead but not by much.

The Dane was looking down at his wallet. "You know, that was surprisingly cheap." The amazement never left his mind. He could now celebrate with the beer he wanted.

"Yes. Everything was at a good price even though there were many things we bought." Lukas held up the bags he had.

The Chinese nation caught up with Jackie. "Are you satisfied, aru?"

"Yeah totally." Jackie nodded. Then she turned around and started to walk backwards. "I'm sorry I didn't mention it sooner but I am very frugal with my money. So I had you worried for nothing, sorry."

"Nah, it's okay." But what was really going through Dan's mind was a silent victory over the fact that she was not like any of the American girls that bought too many things.

Jackie stopped and glanced around. "Hey, where is Yong-Soo Oppa?"

"I had a feeling we were missing someone..." Yao scanned the floor for him.

Lukas looked at Jackie with a little confusion. "What is O..."

"Oh." Jackie laughed nervously. "Oppa means Big Brother in Korean but it's used by girls."

"Oh."

"Aww, so he's your big brother, huh?" Dan snickered, "How cute." The other Nordic grabbed his tie and pulled hard. "AGH!"

"Teacher!" Everybody looked up at the girly voice. Yao turned to see the Taiwan nation walking towards them.

"Aiyah, Mei! What are you doing here?" the Chinese man asked as soon as she got closer. He didn't want the secret to get out.

The newly appeared nation just stepped to the side and pointed at an odd sight. Jackie peered over her shoulder to see the Asian nation of Hong Kong coming closer to them with a Korean leech attached him. Jackie could only giggle at the cute sight.

As soon as he got close enough, Wang tried to brush the Korean off of him. "Can you get him off?"

"Please, da ze~." Yong-Soo whined.

"You already owe me a bunch of money so no," the host frowned, more.

Yao turned to Jackie. "Do you think you can try?" He was always the one to break them up but he did not have the patience to at the moment.

"Why me?" Jackie asked in surprise.

"Why not, aru?"

She looked at Yong-Soo and then at Yao, then at Yong-Soo again. Since Jackie was a huge Korea Hetalia fan, she knew exactly how to get him off of Wang. But, the question over whether if she would really say it in front of a few people got her. Her nervousness would kill her as if she was in a place full of Devil's Snares from Harry Potter. Jackie casually glanced over at the two Nordics to see how they were doing. Dan was holding a cup over the edge of the railing, looking down. The other was just shaking his head.

"Say something, aru." Yao whispered into Jackie's ear.

"Uhhh . . ." She looked at the Korean nation. "Hey Oppa~."

Yong-Soo suddenly froze in complete shock. In one quick movement he got off of Wang, who was deeply grateful on the inside, and latched onto Jackie in a tight side hug. The Chinese nation suddenly felt really sorry for her for having to saying something so . . . .

"You called me OPPA, da ze~." Yong-Soo smiled.

"I think you just caused something, aru." Yao sighed.

"ARGH, DAMN IT!" The Dane suddenly shouted. Everybody turned to him. He wasn't holding a cup anymore and was sulking instead.

"I told you that you wouldn't get Berwald so easy," Norway said so casually.

Jackie laughed a little. Then from a quick glimpse around the mall she saw something a little weird to her.

"Hey, look!" She pointed to the Hello Kitty store up on the third story. Yao, Wang and Mei looked up to see it. Automatically the Chinese nation became super happy and ran over to it. The speed of it was so fast that this surprised Jackie. The other two nations followed after their so-called 'Teacher'. About ten minutes later, Yao came out with several plushies and a t-shirt. The younger Asian nations made fun of him while he was just countering them all with his own pride.

In the end, Jackie got new clothes, Dan failed to prank Svi for the second time, and Yao got some new items for his Hello Kitty collection. They decided to call it a day and went about in their own destinations.

The Asians boarded planes and headed for their respective countries. Jackie comfortably traveled to Korea with her Oppa.

_-At the house-_

Yong-Soo opened the door of the traditional style house. "Welcome to my house, da ze~! Where everything originated in me!"

"Wow, this is amazing," Jackie gasped as she went through the front doors of the house. Her excitement was overflowing out of her body. She zipped left and right, ogling at every little thing that was in the main room. She truly enjoyed Korean things and since they were in the motherland, she was extremely happy.

"Oh, I saved the best room for you, da ze!" Yong-Soo could only grin happily as Jackie looked up at him in complete surprise. He just nodded his head as he led her down a hall. He pointed out his room and quickly guided her to where would be her room. He slid the door open and revealed a room that overlooked the garden he carefully tended.

"OH MY GOD!" Jackie wandered into the room and spun around in a circle complete shock. "THIS IS AMAZING!"

Yong-Soo laughed. "Isn't it da ze?" He was glad to know that someone would appreciate such a place. He had visitors but they were never excited about it as she was.

Jackie ran up to him and hugged him to death again, but not as tight as she did the first time. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"Anything for my citizen, da ze!" He hugged her back gratefully.

Jackie just smiled. "Thank you Oppa!"

The Korean nation was overwhelmed with happiness as well. He took a step out of the room. "Let's get your stuff in here, da ze."

"Okay!" Jackie shuffled out with her Big Brother to grab the new clothes Dan oh-so-gratefully paid for.

...

_-Hetalia-_

**Hey hey Appa, do you want some makori?**

**Hey hey Eomma , hey hey Eomma,**

**I could never forget the taste of the kimchi I ate, daze~**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**I'm Korea, daze!**

**Ah, you can see the wonderful world**

**With a single stroke of the brush.**

**Drama and K-POP are just so great!**

**Uri nara mansae! **


	4. Chapter 4: To Deutschland

**What has Maki been up to while Jackie got caught up in a wild Nordic's prank? **

**Let's see~**

* * *

To Deutschland- Maki

Maki watched from her seat as her friend walked out of the building with Yong Soo. She smiled to herself and took a sip of water. Jackie would definitely enjoy her time with someone that she had fangirled over numerous times; not that it was a bad thing.

An arm suddenly swung across her shoulders. "Hey."

The small girl did a spit take from the sudden action. She did not hear anyone walk into the room. She shakily looked up at the albino German. "H-hi…"

He was laughing heartily. "That was freakin' hilarious!" Maki blushed in embarrassment and wiped her mouth and the mess she made.

"Bruder!" Ludwig marched up to the two. He had just finished conversing with Feliciano and Kiku and decided that it was about time to leave.

"What? I was just messing with her." Gilbert ruffled her short brown hair.

The blonde German frowned. "That doesn't mean you have to scare her!"

The Prussian pouted and looked to the side. "It was still funny though…"

Maki recovered from her scare and cleared her throat, catching the two brother's attention. "I wasn't paying attention. It's my fault."

"No, do not blame yourself." Ludwig glowered at the other German. "It was _his_ fault after all."

Gilbert threw his hands up. "I was just poking fun at her!"

The younger brother crossed his arms. "Bruder, she is our guest and as our guest," he looked at him sternly, "she will not suffer a heart attack!"

"Fine, fine, whatever," scoffed Gilbert. He knew that it was senseless to keep arguing with his brother.

Maki set her glass of water on the table with a sweatdrop running down her head. She wondered if she was going to survive being with the two. She appreciated Ludwig's studious nature and composure, but Gilbert's sudden actions and short attention span bothered her a little. Such opposite people in the house would really be hectic. The girl shook her head and decided to cast the thought away until later.

Ludwig's blue eyes turned to Maki. "Well, we are going now. Do you have your things prepared?"

She patted her pocket to make sure her phone was there and nodded. She meekly smiled at him. "I don't really have anything with me so yes, I am ready."

"Maybe we should go shopping!" Gilbert grinned. "I'll pay!" Maki was bewildered at such notion. _Gilbert of all people?_

"With what money, Bruder?" Ludwig raised a brow at him. He knew that whenever his brother had the money, it would all be used up for either beer or pointless things or beer.

At that, the Prussia leaned to the girl. "Hey, can I borrow twenty Euros?"

Maki made a face. "Really?"

The blonde German crossed his arms. "I am pretty sure she does not have any money, as she just said that she doesn't have anything; namely Euros because she is from America." Maki nodded in agreement.

Gilbert scooted over to this brother. "Then…"

"No."

"Dang it."

"But…" Ludwig looked at Maki. "He does have a point." He lowered his arms. "You cannot just roam around in the same clothes every day."

She looked down at her current outfit of jeans, red flannel, and black converse. "I guess not…" She faced him again. "But I feel bad for asking to get clothes when you're already allowing me to stay at your place."

The bulky German just shook his head. "No, it's alright."

Gilbert put an arm around her shoulders again and grinned. Maki helpless looked at the two before her.

"Bruder, is it possible that you will behave when we have a guest over?" Ludwig groaned.

"No way! I love seeing her cute face." The Prussia smiled as he poked Maki's cheek. She just blushed red like a tomato. "You see!"

The girl's nervousness kicked into high gear. "Please stop it!"

"Bruder…" His younger brother growled.

"Alright, alright. I was just messing around."

Maki stared at the Germans. She truly wondered if she was going to survive staying with them. Jackie would be fine with her favorite character and maybe with some of the other Asian countries as well.

"Let's just go shopping for our guest and then go home." Ludwig sighed.

"I-I would like that." The said guest nodded. She did not want to remain in the center of attention any longer until they got to their destination.

"You guys are all pansies." Gilbert scoffed.

After a train ride from Italy to Germany, the two brothers took her to a shopping center they usually went to. Maki was fascinated by the architectural designs of the building but also by the variety of clothes the shops had compared to her home.

She wandered into one of the shops and browsed through the closest rack. "The styles are much better than the stuff found in America…"

"Duh! Because Germans are awesome!"

Maki couldn't help but to laugh at that nationalistic pride. She continued to look through some shirts in her size. When she got to the end of the rack, she spotted a familiar blondie, followed by a messy brunette.

"Ah~ it is our petite friend from earlier." Francis rested his arm on top of the rack and smiled at the girl.

Antonio waved at them. "Hola!"

"Hey! What's up?"

Maki and Ludwig turned to Gilbert with the same questioning expression on their faces.

He recoiled. "Hey, I didn't invite them!"

The French nation laughed and flipped his hair. "We just wanted to see our little friend, and…" he held up a blue phone with a star charm, "return this to you."

Antonio nodded. "It seems like you left it at my home."

Maki gasped and took the phone. "Thank you very much." It was Jackie's and here she was wondering why she wasn't responding to any of her messages. She was almost afraid that their phones were useless in this world, which would still make sense internationally because services were different.

"Aww~ you look so cute when you smile." The Spaniard beamed at her. She blushed at the comment and ducked behind the clothes rack since she was just that short enough.

Francis glimpsed over it. "No need to be so shy, ma cherie." She stayed put.

"Oi Francis," the said nation looked up at his Prussian friend, "you're good with fashion and stuff; help her find things to wear."

The Frenchman gasped and turned back to Maki smilingly. "Of course! I would be glad to help our petite ange—"

"_You do anything to rape her and I will send you into the next week hiding from Bros!_" Everyone hushed and turned to where Maki was. She had Jackie's phone in her hand in a calling manner. She held it away from her ear when her friend started shouting.

"What the frick? When were you calling her?" Gilbert had his hand on his chest as if he had a heart attack.

Maki shrugged. "I… had to tell her that I had her phone." She was able to contact Yong Soo's phone since Jackie had added his number beforehand.

"_Thank you, Antonio._"

"You're welcome, senorita~."

"_Thanks again._" When the call ended, the brown-haired girl returned the phone back into her pocket.

Ludwig turned to Francis. "You heard her, no harassment." His voice was stern. He also did not want Maki to get into any kind of trouble.

The blonde Frenchman waved his hand. "I wasn't going to do anything of that sort." He then turned to the girl with a playful grin. "Now ma cherie, let's go shopping."

She swallowed. "Okay…"

-_Hours of shopping later-_

"That should be good for now~" Francis had on a satisfied grin as he helped Maki carry some piles of clothes to the register.

Gilbert's jaw dropped. "Mein gott, you got a lot of stuff Frenchie!" He knew he could not pay for all of that even with Ludwig's Euros combined with his.

His blonde companion just shrugged. "I'll pay for half, don't worry mon ami." Francis always had his ways around the store clerks.

"I wanted to tell him that it was too much but he wouldn't listen…" Maki concluded that she did not want to try anymore clothes on and begged him to stop. Her current top consisted of a flannel and gray tank top so just repeatedly taking it off and putting it back on was much to her annoyance. Besides, during the course of the two and some hours, she had gotten five tops, three pants, some skirts and a dress, and couple of shoes and accessories. She could not believe that the man talked her into agreeing with his decisions.

"One can never have too much~." He put on that playful grin he had earlier. Francis clearly enjoyed his time although her short stature made fitting a bit hard. Nonetheless, he had a chance to learn more about her nature.

The cashier scanned and totaled up the purchases and Francis and Gilbert made their payments. The three walked out of the store with two bags in each hand. Ludwig was waiting for them outside of the shop.

He glimpsed at his watch as they came near. "You've had your fun, we need to get going." It was getting late and they still had supper to eat.

His brother rolled his eyes. He knew that Ludwig liked to maintain his strict schedule. "I hate it when you have a stick up your—"

"Let's get going," the German abruptly cut him short. He didn't have the patience to put up with him at the moment. He started to make his way toward the elevator to get to the ground floor and his brother followed close behind.

Maki turned to the Frenchman. "Um…" she blushed a little, "thank you for helping me chose my clothes." She was not a fan of shopping but she learned a couple of new things from the experience.

He smiled at her warmly. "It was my pleasure." Francis found the flustered side of her adorable.

"There you are!" The Spanish nation hurried after everyone. He had decided to go wander around while the others were shopping and forgot to keep track of time.

Gilbert smirked at him. "Lost much?"

Antonio stopped to catch his breath. When he recovered he just grinned at the bunch. "Well mi amigo, I saw the cutest turtle in a pet shop."

"You and turtles, I swear." The Prussian shook his head. His Spanish friend was always hyped up about turtles ever since the restaurant incident.

"Turtles are cute~."

Maki simply nodded in agreement. She also liked turtles but was too shy to comment.

The blue-eyed German cleared his throat and tapped his watch impatiently.

"I think someone is getting a little grumpy~," teased Francis.

Ludwig frowned at him. "I have work to do so may we please leave?" He had some paperwork that his boss wanted completed and the studious German did not want to waste the precious time he had planned out. Not to mention that he also had to prepare Maki's guest room and possibly Jackie's room as well in case if she ever wanted to stay at his house as well. He had to dust the room, clean whatever mess was I there in the first place, and add new sheets for her; if Gilbert remembered to buy them that is.

"I'm sorry." The short girl laughed nervously and proceeded to go in the elevator that the German was holding open. When she stepped in, he took the bags she had in hand and decided to carry them for her.

"Whatever." Gilbert just sighed and tagged behind. Francis and Antonio also followed them.

The elevator stopped at the third floor to pick up more people. Everyone shuffled to the edges and Maki moved to the side by the door. She then realized that a little boy had dropped his new toy on his way in. She took the courtesy to fetch it for him. Unfortunately, a man took advantage of the opening and took her place. When she turned around, the elevator closed and proceeded to go to the lower floors.

Her jaw dropped. "What…"

-_Outside-_

The four nations eventually got to Ludwig's black Audi and placed the bags into the trunk. Antonio went to fetch his car since he was going to give Francis a ride on the way to his home. Gilbert called shotgun and hopped into the passenger seat of the German car.

His brother closed the trunk and turned around to face Maki. "You sit in the back. Make sure you—"

"Oh mon dieu…" Francis gasped, "We lost our little angel!"

Ludwig facepalmed. "She must have gotten caught in that flow of people in the elevator..." She was a small person after all and he swore he caught a glimpse of a girl with short brown hair walk out to get something.

"What? How do we just randomly lose a girl?" Gilbert stuck his head out the window.

Antonio pulled up to them in his red Lamborghini Diablo. "Hey where is Maki?"

"She is still in that mall, mon ami." Francis looked worriedly at the building. "I will go find her."

"I will help. She was supposed to be my responsibility." Ludwig sighed and turned to his brother. "Bruder, you return home with her things and clean up so that she feels like a proper guest." He then faced the Spaniard. "Do you mind taking him home?" The last time he had let the Prussian drive his car, it had returned home with a broken door and shattered headlights.

"I don't mind, amigo." He smiled at him.

Gilbert groaned and moved the bags into the Spaniard's car. He sat himself in the passenger seat. "Why can't I stay?" Ludwig just looked at him sternly and he decided not to ask another question. The two shortly drove off as the other two rushed back into the mall.

-_Somewhere on the first floor of the mall_-

"I'm pretty sure the exit was around here…" Maki turned at a corner and found another store instead. She sighed in dismay and could not believe that she got herself lost in the mall when she was just steps away from going outside. The elevator was located in the middle of the mall but the area was probably two times larger than an American one. "I feel like Pewdie when he was playing Ao Oni…" She trudged along, with that toy still in hand, and tried to find a map of the place.

When she found it, she studied it for a while but then slammed her head against the sign. It was in German and she had no idea of what it was saying. She could not bring herself to ask anyone because she was too scared to and worried that they would not understand English. If only she could be carefree as Yui and RItsu when they said they didn't need English to live in Japan. Then again, they would be held back if they didn't pass that course in school.

"My my, Maki was it?" The mentioned girl gasped and swung around. She was greeted by a lady with long brown hair and a man with glasses and a mole just below his mouth.

Elizabeta Hedervary smiled and brought her hands together. "It _is_ Maki!"

The Austrian, Roderich Edelstein, just nodded at her. "Yes, yes. You were right."

The younger girl sighed in relief. She was glad to finally see some familiar faces, even if she had never talked to them in person. She looked up at the Hungarian. "What are you two doing here?" It was Germany and she did not expect to see them around, although Austria was just south of the country.

Roderich lifted his glasses. "Miss Elizabeta here wanted to see the dresses that were on sale."

She held up a bag. "Guilty as charged~." She pulled out her phone and showed the girl a text from Gilbert. "But we also had to run a weird errand for this idiot." The message read '_need some girly sheetz and blanketz- By Your Awesomeness, Gil_'.

Maki raised a brow. She wondered if everyone just left her, considering how Gilbert seemed to be home already.

"So how about you, hun?" Elizabeta looked at her curiously. "What are you doing by yourself in a German mall?" She expected that at least one nation would have accompanied her since her best friend had left with Yong Soo.

The girl hung her head in dismay. "I… was taken shopping by Ludwig, Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio, and I got separated from them…"

"How rude." The Austrian frowned. "They should have paid more attention."

"Yes; Gilbert and Antonio I understand, but Francis and Ludwig, really?" Elizabeta shook her head. "That is not how you treat a guest."

Roderich turned to the younger girl. "Would you like us to take you to his house?"

Maki laughed nervously. "If it's not a hassle for you…"

"Oh no, do not worry." He smiled at her. "We were going there anyway so might as well take you along."

Maki bowed at him. "Thank you!" Now she was really glad that she came across the two of them. They were good people. At least she hoped that they were.

"By the way…" The Hungarian was staring at the box the girl had in hand. "I did not know you were interested in action figures." She took a better look at it. "And a Gundam at that."

Maki blushed and waved her arms about. "It's not like that!"

-_Somewhere on the third floor_-

"You honestly think that she will still be up here?" Ludwig frowned at the Frenchman. He believed that Maki would be bright enough to go at least to the ground floor so that she could find the exit.

Francis turned to face him. "You have to go back from where you started, non?" He wanted to make sure they followed their traces from when they last saw her, which was on the third floor.

The two wandered about and tried to find their little guest. Ludwig asked around since the people there were his citizens, while Francis, well, was being Francis and flirting with any beautiful ladies he saw. He was a bit intimidated though, since German women were was tough as the men. They decided to take a break and leaned against a railing that overlooked the rest of the floors. They've searched for at least fifteen minutes and to no success.

"I hope she is okay," the French nation commented. "What if she was swept up by one of your bulky people?"

Ludwig decided to let that slide. "She is a strong girl, mentally and physically. I am sure she is doing just fine." Although his face looked normal, he was worried on the inside. He clenched on the railing. He was to make sure that she was safely escorted to his home but instead had lost her. He was going to find her at all cost.

"Vous etes trop inquiet, mon ami {You are too worried, my friend}." Francis smirked. "But I would have thought that you would be used to something like this from losing Feliciano a lot."

"Shut up." The German frowned again as he scanned the premises.

"Hey regardez, there's Monsieur Fancy Pants and Elizabeta." The Frenchman was staring at the two nations who were heading toward the exit. To the Hungarian's left, he noticed a shorter girl walking with them. The red flannel and short brown hair gave it away. He gasped and pointed. "I found her!"

The German directed his eyes to where his finger was directed. "We need to get to her before they leave! Move it, on the double!" Ludwig rushed to the escalator since that was the nearest thing there.

"What is this, war?" Francis sighed and quickly followed after the German.

-_On the first floor_-

Maki took a sigh of relief when she stepped out of the building. It was an interesting experience and all but she did not want to be lost again. As she hopped down some stairs, she heard a crying of a little boy. She turned to the commotion and saw a mother trying to calm her son down. He seemed familiar to her. She looked at the box in her hand and then back at the boy.

Maki stopped at the last step, causing Roderich and Elizabeta to pause from their conversation. She faced them, "I will be right back," and jogged across the parking lot to where the family was.

She timidly walked up to them and without a word, handed the boy his toy, smiled and bowed at the two, and rushed back to where the Germanic nations were waiting.

"Ah, so it was his toy." Elizabeta smiled at her.

The Austrian nodded. "That was very kind of you."

A small blush went across her face as Maki scratched her head. "It was nothing. I mean it's not fair for the mother who had paid quite a lot on something that was later lost—AH!" She jumped as she felt someone poke the middle of her back.

"Ohonhonhon~ found your weak spot." Maki spun around and found Francis and Ludwig standing behind her.

Ludwig's blue eyes directed to her. "Where have you been?" His voice came out louder than he had intended, as if he was scolding someone.

The girl lowered her head. "I-I'm sorry… I got lost." She felt a hand go on her head.

Elizabeta stepped in front of her and jabbed a finger at Ludwig's chest. "You were the one who was supposed to keep an eye on her!" The German held his hands up in defense and she just frowned at him.

"My apologies," he turned to Maki, "I am not mad at you so no need to be so down." She perked her head up a little.

"Well then," Roderich handed the bag with the items requested by the Prussian to Ludwig, "your idiotic brother asked for these. I hope they match what he had in mind." Inside were a peach colored sheet and a flower printed blanket.

"Danke," the German sighed and took them. He faced the Austrian and Elizabeta. "And thank you two for watching over her."

The Hungarian waved her hand. "No problem. You usually have your hands full with your bruder anyway."

"Just be more careful," said Roderich.

"Will do." Ludwig nodded at them and turned to Francis and Maki. "We should get home now." He looked at his watch and sighed. He was completely off schedule now but it was at his own account. The three bid the Hungarian and Austrian nations goodbye and drove home in Ludwig's black Audi.

-_At Ludwig and Gilbert's house_-

"I will park the car. Francis, you go help her inside."

The car was stopped in front of a three story brick house. It was dark out now so Maki could not make out anything more than that. The Frenchman helped her out of the car and led her up to the front door. She gasped as some barking was heard from the nearby window. If she recalled correctly, Ludwig had three dogs.

"Well, welcome to his house." Francis smiled at her as he opened the door with the key the German handed him.

Maki nodded at him and walked in. "Thank you...—Oh My Gosh!" She jumped back and bumped into the Frenchman, causing her to fall in his arms. In front of her was Gilbert lying face down on the floor, covered in blood with a large knife stabbed in the middle of his back. She could not believe her eyes. Someone had murdered that wild albino.

Ludwig walked up behind them and gave out a deep sigh. "Bruder… you know it's hard to clean that mess… and why today of all days?"

Maki turned to him. "W-what..?" Her attention quickly went back to the Prussian as obnoxious laughter erupted from him.

"Your reaction! Mein gott, that was awesome!" He pulled the fake knife out and literally rolled on the floor, laughing his butt off. "Better than your spit take!" He continued his fit.

The girl just stood there in shock. "T-that's a horrible prank!"

"No…" she looked up at the other German, "he does it every time I get home."

"Huh?" She made a face and shifted her eyes to Francis.

"It is true." He grimaced a little. "Once when I had come over to visit, there was an arrow through the side of his head. After that joke was over, he still had it in place while he was cooking wurst."

Maki sweatdropped. That was a disturbing scene.

"With the blood still on my face." Gilbert beamed in triumph. "Now _that_ was awesome!"

"Or the time mi amigo was smothered by a large a Gilbird," Antonio called out from the kitchen.

Ludwig shook his head. "As soon as I saw that, I had to close the door and reopen it in case I was just seeing things."

"But the most awesome-est one was when I had the dogs surround me while I was covered in ketchup." The Prussian laughed his head off. "I didn't plan that but it was awesome!"

"Well since you find these pranks so fun, you should not mind cleaning the mess yourself!" His brother growled at him. He did not appreciate the constant pools of blood that were left on the ground. It was starting to stain their wooden floor.

"What?" Gilbert shouted in dismay. Ludwig only looked at him sternly.

The poor girl finally got back up on her feet and held her head.

"How am I going to survive this?"

…

_-Hetalia-_

**Oi Oi Vati, give me a beer.**

**Oi Oi Mutti, Oi Oi Mutti,**

**I can't forget the taste**

**Of that wurst I had that day!**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Look at it closely, there's the earth**

**Could it be? There's the earth**

**I am Germany!**

**Ah, a wondrous world**

**That can be seen with a single stroke of a brush**

**Whether if I'm playing or cleaning up**

**It's serious business!**


	5. Chapter 5: Exploration

**Wow so that was a long delay, I apologize. I've been the opposite of busy… **

**So! We're back again with some more "The Outgoing and the Shy" :D**

* * *

Exploration

About a week had passed since the girls had appeared in the new world. Jackie was completely comfortable in her heritage nation's home and enjoyed the Korean and other Asian tradition around her. Maki on the other hand learned quite a lot of German culture but also experienced what it was like to be around a troublesome older brother. It was a new day and the two girls were dragged along to another meeting; a G20 one this time, located in Germany.

Jackie stretched her arms across the table and sighed. "Why are we in the room again?" The two would have no business at all in the international business anyway so it didn't make sense to her that they had to attend it regardless.

Maki shrugged. "I have no idea." She did not mind coming to these but she knew her friend's attention span would not allow her to sit still for five minutes.

"Where else are you going to go?" Ludwig questioned as he walked past them. As the host country, he made sure to arrive early and laid out some papers for each member to look at during the meeting.

"Beats me." Jackie sat back in her chair and tipped it back a little.

"The park maybe?" The smaller friend suggested as she scribbled stuff on a spare piece of paper. Since she's been in Germany for a week, she was familiar with some locations through her morning "training" course and from Gilbert randomly taking her to places.

The black-haired girl took her friend's mechanical pencil out of her hand with her mouth. "Maybe… if we could find one." She spun it around in her hand and looked up at the German across the room. "Why did you wake us up early again?" She decided to sleepover with Maki the night before, only to find getting woken up early, again.

He placed the last of the documents down. "So that you two would have time to get ready and so that I would have enough time to prepare before the meeting started."

The double-doors opened up and the cheery Italian and calm Japanese entered the room. Feliciano waved his hand in the air. "Good morning~."

Kiku bowed at the bunch. "Good morning Ludwig-san, Maki-chan, Jackie."

"Ohayou." Maki bowed her head at him.

"Nee, Kiku-san," Jackie prompted at the said nation, "you wouldn't have any Pocky on you, do you?" Since her friend had run out and she did not have any money herself, she was in desperate need for the snack.

The Japanese man smiled at her. "Actually, I have brought a box for the both of you." He handed them to the two.

"Whoo!" Jackie gratefully accepted hers and started eating it two sticks at a time.

The other friend sweatdropped as she took her box. "I think I will save mine for later…" She wasn't hungry from the breakfast earlier and wanted to keep it until she really wanted them; preferably without Ludwig around since he kept warning her that having too much sugar was bad for the body.

"Suit yourself, Kiki-chan," Jackie mumbled with a mouth full of Pocky. She swallowed that last bit and hopped out of her seat with the box in hand. "I'm going to throw this away." She exited the room to find a trashcan since there was none in the meeting place.

Kiku watched her leave. "She truly loves Pocky, doesn't she?"

"It sure does seem like it." Feliciano commented as he took his seat near the German.

Maki took her seat after finish helping Ludwig set up. She watched as several other nations entered the room, also taking their designated spots.

"How often do you go to meetings?" she asked, not to anyone in particular.

The Japanese nation had heard her first. "Well, the meetings that the world leaders attend to happen annually but these G20 meetings happen at least once a month and sometimes every two weeks. The world meeting happens every two months or so." Now that he thought about it, it seemed like it was nothing but meetings.

"I see…" She rested her chin on her hand. "Does it get tiring, even boring?" She didn't want to sound rude but if she was in their place, even she would get tired of going to them.

"Unfortunately, yes," the Japanese man answered wearily. He enjoyed seeing the other nations but he also had strict business meetings at his own home so it gets stressful.

Jackie returned from her little trip and sat next to her friend. "Hey Maki, I heard about a new store that opened up at the mall."

She cocked her head. "New store?"

"Yeah, wanna go?"

"Sounds like fun."

The Italian sitting by them leaned into the conversation. "What new store? I hope it's a pasta store!" He believed that Germany did not have enough places that sold pasta-related things.

Jackie laughed. "No, it's a—"

"The Hero is here!" Alfred shouted as he entered the room. He had some transportation issues and ended up being one of the last ones to arrive.

Ludwig just shook his head. "Everyone take your seats. The meeting is about to begin."

The older girl frowned and stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom."

As she left, Alfred scurried over to her friend while everyone else proceeded to their seats. "Hey, are you still up for what we planned, Maki?"

She nodded at him. "Yes, of course." She had nothing better to do besides avoiding Gilbert's pranks anyway.

Francis overheard them and smiled devilishly. "Is this a date I am smelling?"

"Aww, how cute." Antonio just happened to be behind them as well.

Maki got flustered and slightly blushed. "I-it's not like that!" Over the week, she was also constantly bugged by the Frenchman, and occasionally by the Spaniard, because Gilbert would invite them over when Ludwig was absent.

Alfred just ignored the whole scenario. "I'm showing her a brand new game I got from Kiku. But it's like in Japanese."

"Since you could not wait for the English version to come out," added the Japanese nation himself.

The girl nodded. "So, I am going to translate for him as he plays it."

"Hmm… seems fun," remarked Ivan; he too as listening in on their conversation.

She laughed nervously at the comment. "It might get tedious later on though…"

"Hey Kiki-chan! Come out here! There is a dance-off down the block! I'm heading over there!"

Maki glanced back at the large window. She saw Jackie waving her hands excitedly and pointing down the street. The brunette looked up at Ludwig pleadingly, for permission to leave.

He turned to the window and then back at the girl. He knew she would behave and that she did not serve any important business in the meeting to start with. "Yes, that's fine. But why—"

"Maki! Hurry up and grab your iPhone camera! I can hear the music pumpin'!"

She laughed nervously and excused herself from the room. _I'm coming, I'm coming…_ She ran down the hall and made her way outside.

Alfred was staring out the window as well. "Dude, why is she so excited over a dance-off in the street?"

"A dance-off, daze?" The Korean raised his head up from the table. "That explains why she is so excited, daze."

The American nation just looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

"You'll see, daze."

-_Outside the meeting building-_

Jackie was gone by the time Maki got outside. The small girl followed the sound of the music and fought through a crowd that had formed. She spotted her friend right away. "I'm here."

Jackie was already in sync with the music that was blasting. "Whoo! You're late, dude!"

"I got lost in the building…" Maki took out her phone and immediately started recording. Her friend was obviously enjoying her time while the crowd was cheering her on, along with couple of other dancers.

"Dude! She can dance!"

"Ve~ so amazing."

The brunette peered behind several people to find that Alfred and Feliciano had apparently tagged along. _They followed me…?_

The music ended and Jackie finished with a pose as she landed after a backflip. Panting, she walked up to her friend. "You caught all that?"

She stopped recording. "Yep!" She probably had at least five recordings of her dancing now. Good thing she had a lot of memory in her phone.

"Cool!" Jackie fist-bumped Maki. "Man! I'm so hyped up right now, whoo!"

The Italian scurried through the crowd and got to the two girls. "Ve~ I didn't know you dance."

The said dancer shrugged. "It's a pastime for me."

"Alfred! Feliciano! How dare you two leave my meeting!"

"Oh crap." The American made a run for it. The Italian followed close behind, for fleeing was his specialty. They ran as if a Bro was going after them.

Maki watched them leave and then turned to her friend. "You just wanted to ditch the meeting, huh?"

She pointed at the dance-off that was still going on. "Yeah, but seriously."

Ludwig ran past them as he was chasing the other two nations. "I expect you two to go back to the meeting as well!" Even in a suit he had no trouble catching up with Alfred and Feliciano.

"Aww!" Jackie whined. She was looking forward to round two with the guy she was going against.

Maki cocked her head. "But he said it was okay… oh well."

_-Back in the building, an hour later-_

"Now, I'm bored again." The Korean girl flicked the twentieth paper creation down the table. The smaller friend was busy intently listening in on the discussion, so focused that nothing could distract her. Jackie had given up ten minutes ago and just started to bang her head on the table. "I Am So Bored."

Arthur frowned at the ruckus she was causing. "Banging your head like that is not going to release your boredom."

The Japanese nation scribbled something on a sheet of blank paper and slipped the note to the girl. She received it and casually opened it while Ludwig had his back on them. '_Would you like to borrow the DS again?'_

She wrote her message down and sent it back his way. '_You have the new Pokemon Black and White 2?'_

He returned it with his reply. '_Yes, but it is in Japanese.'_

The girl just shrugged and passed the paper back. _'I am multilingual in the Asian languages. I'm good.'_

Kiku slid the DS and note back to her just before the German faced back to the table. '_That is wonderful. Please enjoy.'_

Jackie set the system on her lap and started playing like mad. Then she remembered something from earlier. "Hey Maki, you still wanna come with me to that new store?"

The button mashing snapped Maki back to her surroundings again. She blinked at her. "Ye—" _Oh wait…_ "Actually I can't today."

Her friend paused and looked up at her. "What? Why?"

"I made plans with Alfred earlier." She scratched her head. "I'm sorry."

Jackie pouted. She was looking forward to going with her since they usually went to check out new stores together back at home. She shrugged. "Okay, but next time, okay?"

Maki nodded. "Definitely."

The older girl resumed playing her game. "Then I wonder who I could ask to go with me instead?"

"Why not go by yourself, love?" Arthur asked her. Alfred was speaking now and he did not care to hear another ridiculous input by him.

"That would not be a good idea…" Maki shook her head.

"Why is that?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Jackie gets lost…" She signed.

The other girl pouted at her. "Hey! That only happened…" She hung her head. "A couple of times…"

The American's time limit of eight minutes was up and he sat back down. He overheard the last bit of what she had said. "How many times?"

"Forty…"

Arthur was shocked. "How in the world can you get lost in the mall forty times?"

"Horrible sense of direction…" Jackie proceeded to absorb herself into the game.

_-Another hour later…-_

"Ugh!" The older girl pounded her head against the table again. The DS was returned to the Japanese man since he was getting bored as well. So, her boredom has returned. "I am so bored…" Plus the chair was starting to get uncomfortable from sitting for too long.

Maki on the other hand was starting to nod off to sleep. Even her attention span couldn't grasp onto the stuff happening in the conference. Besides, she stayed up late with Jackie during the sleepover and was unexpectedly woken up early.

Jackie turned her head to her dozing-off friend. She poked her cheek. "Hey, who do you think I could ask to go to the mall with me?"

Maki raised her head sleepily and looked around. "Huh, what?

The other girl kept poking her cheek. "The store? You know, the new store?"

"Oh right…" She rubbed her eyes and scanned across the table. "Matthew might be free."

Jackie smiled at that possibility. "Maybe." Her attention wandered to the nation sitting next to the Canadian. She looked curiously at the Russian. "Hmm…"

"Anyone else you have in mind?" Maki yawned quietly.

She gazed at him. "Maybe… if he's free."

"That's it! Meeting's on hold until after lunch!" Jackie and Maki turned to Ludwig after his outburst. "The chaos is too out of hand!"

"Be right back, Maki." The taller girl got up and went over to where Matthew and Ivan were.

"Time for some Mickey D's!" Alfred jumped out of his seat. Several nations left the room to retrieve their food.

"You will become one with me, da?"

"Uhh…"

"Hey Mattie, let's go grab something together." Alfred thought his brother was in trouble and decided to help him out first before leaving.

"Uhh… sure, Al." The two American brothers walked away from the Russian, the loud one dragging the other behind.

Ivan sighed heavily.

"Hey Ivan!"

The Russian turned to the voice and smiled at the girl before him. "Hello Jackie."

She smiled back. "Wanna hang out with me today?"

At that, the whole room froze in shock. Everyone that was still in the room directed their attention towards the two.

Ivan was just as surprised. "Me?" It wasn't every day that someone would ask him to simply hang out. He was only called over for important business.

She put her hands on her hips. "Am I talking to any other Russian dude? Yes, I mean you."

He couldn't help but to smile widely. "I would love to hang out with you."

The girl clapped her hands excitedly. "Cool!"

Maki slipped through the people that were in the middle of leaving the room and caught up with Jackie. "Found someone?"

She turned around. "Yeah, Ivan."

"What?" Alfred shouted from the hall. He was curious to why everybody was still in the room then he heard what was going on. He sent his brother to go fetch him something at McDonald's in his place.

Jackie looked up at the Russian. "I'll see you at the front entrance after the meeting then."

"Okay, sounds good." He took a mental note, although he really didn't need to. He was excited enough but didn't want to show it too much, or else it might just all seem like a dream and fade away from him.

She smiled at him and then focused back to her smaller friend. "'Kay Maki, let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."

Everybody was still in shock when the girls left the room.

_-Outside the meeting building-_

"Finally we're out of there!" Jackie threw her hands up in the air as they walked down the last of the steps.

Maki laughed. "Only for like an hour though."

"I say we ditch for the rest of the time!" Her friend grinned slyly. She seriously couldn't see how those nations could handle sitting there for hours. Then again, they were much older and have been doing this since forever.

Maki laughed nervously. "If Ludwig doesn't find us like earlier."

Jackie hung her head in dismay, remembering that she had to miss the rest of the dance-off. She shook it off and stared into space. "Hmm, well there is also the issue of where we could go."

"That's true…" The smaller girl tried to figure out a place they could go but then her stomach started to growl. She cleared her throat. "…You heard nothing."

It was too late though and her friend was laughing her head off. "Even Kiki cannot resist food!"

She blushed. "I can't help it!—Oh wait…" The girl took out the Pocky box Kiku had given her earlier.

Jackie calmed down and wiped a tear that had formed. "You're lucky I had my spot of Pocky already."

Maki put one in her mouth and handed three sticks to her friend. She did not like to be the only one eating; besides, Jackie was bound to steal some later on anyway.

The girl ate the three in a flash. "Okay, now there is still the issue of getting actual food." She knew very well that the Pocky could not keep her or Maki satisfied for long.

"I have some money but it's not enough for two meals…" Maki continued nibbling on her snack. She had collected money from Ludwig in exchange for keeping Gilbert out of his hair. She refused at first, naturally, but he insisted and she just gave in. It was as if she was babysitting that Prussian.

"And all I have are Wons from Yong Soo." Jackie shrugged. They could exchange it at a bank or something but it seemed like a pain at the moment. "Do you think we should just get something light for now and get something heavier later?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Okay." Jackie turned to her friend. "You were here for a week; know any places?"

The girl thought back. "There was a nice little café down the street from here. They had really good bread and it wasn't pricey at all." Ludwig had taken her there one day after grocery shopping.

"Sweet, let's head there then."

_-Meanwhile in the building-_

"Big brother! How dare you go with another woman!"

"Go home!"

Yao watched as Ivan was getting chased around the dining hall by his little sister. "Aiyah, why does she always show up at these meetings?" She wasn't even part of the G20 in the first place.

"I don't know, daze." Yong Soo took one of the Chinese nation's snacks.

Alfred was also watching the Russian but with different intentions. He shoved another burger into his mouth. "?" He washed it down with his coke. "I just can't believe it."

"I have no bloody idea." Arthur took a bite of his Cornish pasty and made sure to swallow first, unlike his former colony. "And stop talking with your mouth full!"

"I do believe Alfred has the right to be worried though." Francis wiped his mouth with his napkin.

"Get off of me, aru!"

"Daze~."

Ludwig shook his head. "I'm worried about a lot of things actually…" No matter what, the meetings would not go as planned.

"Ve~ Ivan is very scary… why would Jackie want to be next to such a scary person?"

The German sat back in his seat. "I had heard from Maki that Jackie tends to be the dangerous type."

"Huh?" Arthur looked up from his plate. "What do you mean 'dangerous'?"

"I believe it would be better suited if you heard it from her personally." Ludwig knew no specific details but he found it rude to ask more since the little girl seemed uneasy about it.

The Brit just stared at him and shrugged. "Where did they run off to anyway?" He saw them leave the building but they have not told them about where they were headed.

"I do not have a clue." Kiku set down his chopsticks.

"Big brother!"

"Go home already!"

_-At the café-_

Jackie took a sip of her tea and let out a satisfied sigh. Her friend took a bite of bread and smiled. "It's good, right?"

"You were right and the stuff was at a good price too." The older girl broke a piece of the bread Maki was eating and had some herself. "Sorry you had to use most of your money, Kiki-chan."

She just waved her hand. "It's fine. I'll figure something out later."

"If you want me to hit the streets again, I can."

"No, it's fine." Maki took a sip of her milk tea. "Where are we going after we finish here?"

Jackie sipped back in her chair. "Like I said earlier, I want to ditch the meeting place, but we can't stray too far from it."

"Right." The other dusted her hands and took out her phone. She brought up the map app and looked for a place they could stall time at.

The Korean girl nibbled on a biscotti. "I wonder if there are any places where I could get art supplies. I couldn't paint or draw during the time I was at Oppa's house."

"Really? I expected he would have something." Maki searched for a place that could possibly sell some art supplies.

"I wasn't really thinking about it since I was spazzing about my heritage." She shrugged. "But now I feel like painting something."

Her friend continued looking around. "What did you do while you were staying with him?"

"Well, for one I went to Jejudo."

Maki's head shot up and gasped. "Really?" Jackie had shown her pictures of the place and it was probably one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen.

"Yep! It's really nice over there." The older friend leaned back in her chair. "The ocean breeze, the sandy beach, the high mountains…" She smiled contently. "I loved it!"

"That sounds amazing." The Japanese girl tried to recreate the image in her mind. "I wish I was there."

"I think you will be able to if I ask Oppa." Jackie laughed and tipped her chair back. "What about you?"

Maki sweatdropped. "Well, Ludwig was usually busy for work and stuff so I was stuck with Gilbert… but he took me places since he didn't really have anything to do." Him being a revived nation and all, well a micro-nation, he did not have huge responsibilities to uphold like the others.

"Oh really?" Her friend cocked her head. "Oppa wasn't really busy so he took me to see all of the historical Korean towns. He saved Seoul for last."

Maki smiled. She knew that Jackie had always wanted to visit Korea but never had the time or money to be able to travel to all the places she would had liked to go. "Nice, how was that?"

"Seoul was amazing! The lights were a bit blinding but it was the perfect mix of traditional and industrial." She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a mark of a circle with three colors- yellow, blue and red, spiraling toward the center. "And I got a new tattoo."

The smaller girl looked it over. "Cool."

She pulled her sleeves back down. "It was pretty expensive though. It was like 300 in American dollars."

Maki's mouth hung open. "Oh my."

She just shrugged. "It's okay though because I paid for half." She sipped some more of her tea. "Anyways, where did you go?"

Maki thought back. "He… took me to see Frauenkirche one night and Neuschwanstein two days ago." They were both building structures but she was amazed at their grandeur. The first one was a Lutheran church in Dresden. In the night, the lights made it seem like the domed roof was glowing, with spiked clock towers on each corner. The second one was a castle in Bavaria and he had told her that the castle in the 'Beauty and the Beast' was based off of it.

"Wait," Jackie got the chair back on all fours, "did he get the B.T.T. together?"

A slight gloom fell over the little girl's head. "Sometimes…"

The older girl scowled and a dark aura appeared around her. "Did they do anything to you?" The trio was not something she trusted and even though she had threatened them earlier, she could not feel at ease at all when she knew that her friend would be stuck with them by herself.

Maki brought up a picture on her phone and showed it to Jackie. It was of her in a Lolita-styled dress. It was pastel pink with strawberry patterns, and full of ribbons. She also had frilly gloves and socks that had ribbons on them as well.

The Korean girl did not say a word and instead started snickering. It was really cute on her she had to admit, but it was so weird seeing her friend in something so pink and girly.

Maki covered her face. "It was so embarrassing! I was stuck in it all day…" Apparently, when she was taking a shower after a training course, Gilbert had snuck in and switched out her clothes. He and the rest of the trio would not allow her to change to her regular clothes and took her out for the day. Luckily Ludwig found out about this and made sure it was not to happen again.

Jackie turned away, still snickering. It was too much for her.

Her friend took her phone back and blushed. "It's not funny!"

She still remained speechless and slammed her head on the table, trying really hard not to laugh out loud, for her little friend's sake. Maki pouted and started eating the last piece of bread.

Eventually, Jackie calmed down enough to face her again. She sat up straight, red-faced. "Okay, I'm good. I'm good."

"Are you sure?" Maki stared at her suspiciously.

She started to snicker again. "Maybe…"

The brunette pouted again, with a cartoonish tear coming from one eye. She sniffed and started clearing the trash. "Anyway… I think I found a crafts shop nearby."

"What? Really? Sweet!" Jackie excitedly tossed out the trash but paused. "…Oh wait, we don't have money."

"True…" Maki scratched her head. "Ludwig gave me money from keeping Gilbert out of his hair. I only spent some of it here while I have some saved back at the house."

"You have the keys?"

"Nope."

The taller girl adjusted her cap. "Oh well. We could just look around."

Her friend nodded. "Yeah."

She smiled. "Okay, let's do that."

The two walked out of the café with Maki leading the way to that crafts store.

…

_-Hetalia -_

**Hey Hey Daddy, get me a soda.**

**Hey Hey Mommy, Hey Hey Mommy, **

**I could never forget the taste of the freshly baked apple pie you made that day!**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**I'm America!**

**Ah, a wondrous world **

**That can be seen with a single stroke of a brush**

**Where the beef and the dreams are both supersized!**

**America!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Follow

The Follow

**Sorry for the late update, we've been a bit busy lately so we couldn't come together to work on this. **

**Continuing from when the girls left the café! Enjoy~**

**(ps. We do not know any other languages fluently [except for Japanese and Korean] so apologies ahead of time for translation mistakes)**

* * *

"Meeting dismissed!" The German's booming voice echoed in the room. The nations were finally able to get through the conference after about an hour worth of distractions. The bulky blonde man was growing irritated by the minute but managed to lead the meeting to the finish.

Alfred stretched in this seat. "That took forever!" He felt satisfied for being able to input on all the topics because everything he said always had some sort of response. It's the hero's job to throw out good ideas for everyone after all.

Across from him, the Russian was humming happily to himself. He's been waiting patiently for the little plan he had arranged earlier with one of the girls. Toris noticed the fluffly aura he was emitting and decided to see what was on his mind.

"You seem quite happy," he smiled nervously at him. Before Ivan could respond, a shadow stretched from behind them.

"Big Brother!" Ivan's sister slammed onto the window from outside. The Russian was able to shake her off by sending her on an errand but unfortunately it didn't last for long.

"Go home!" The Russian nation cowered behind his chair.

A sweatdrop ran down Toris' head. "Nevermind…" He had either jinxed it or spoke too soon. Though, he still wondered why he was in a cheerful mood throughout the meeting earlier.

"Ve~" Feliciano sat at his seat, waiting for his German buddy to finish cleaning up. "I wonder where Jackie and Maki are."

"Hai, I wonder as well." The Japanese nation placed his things into his bag.

Ludwig stacked some papers together. "They shouldn't have wandered far." He trusted that Maki wouldn't go too far from the building though he was a bit warily about her more spontaneous friend.

"But I still wonder." The Italian rested his chin on his hand.

Alfred threw his stuff into his bag and marched up to Ivan. "Hey commie!" He pointed at him. "You better not do anything to my citizen! Or else the hero will come to save the damsel in distress." Right when he got to the Russian, a box flew across the room and hit him directly at the back of his head.

"Ow!" He staggered in pain but it wasn't that serious thanks to his thick skull. The American held his head and spun around to find Jackie standing by the door. "Dude, that was not awesome!"

"Don't call me a damsel in distress then!" The tall girl huffed. She and Maki had just made their way down the hall when she overheard Alfred. She had run ahead of her smaller friend and quietly entered the room.

Ivan waved at her. "Hello Jackie."

The mentioned girl turned her attention to the Russian. "Hey, you ready to go? I just have to get my art box." She went to pick up the art set she threw at Alfred.

Ivan held up his bag. "I'm ready." He'd packed up a long time ago and was about to leave to the rendezvous point but the American had stopped him. Jackie smiled at him as she went up to him.

Ludwig just sighed heavily but his attention soon turned to the door as Maki walked into the room. She had decided to wait until the uproar died down before entering. "Where have you two been?"

The younger friend stopped in her track in response to the stern tone in his voice. She timidly pointed to Jackie's box. "W-we decided to go look around at that one crafts store down the street."

Her friend grinned happily. "I entered a contest for art supplies and I got it!"

"Ve~ that's amazing."

"Yeah, it is cool!" Jackie jumped excitedly. "Now I can paint again!" She's been waiting for a long time since she hasn't had the time to work on anything due to their constant move with the nations.

While the four were chatting about other events, Alfred scowled at Ivan. The American pointed at him. "You better not do anything!" He knows it's been years since the whole Cold War thing but his distrust for the former commie never faded.

"Oh you worry too much, comrade." Ivan just smiled at him innocently in response, although a slight purple aura had also appeared.

Jackie glanced at the clock and then at her best friend. "You think you can carry this to the room or you need help?" It honestly was a bit heavy from all the nice supplies.

"I can take it to the room."

"Cool." She handed it to her and turned to Ivan. "Okay, let's go!"

He nodded at her. "Yes, let's."

Maki carefully held the box full of supplies and smiled at the two. "Have fun."

Feliciano waved at the two. "Ve~ take care."

"Thanks." Jackie started her way out the door.

"Don't let the commie do anything bad to you!" Alfred shouted as she was halfway out.

The girl rolled her eyes. She spun on her heel and put a hand on her hip. "You are talking to the girl who has been in juvi for four years. I think I can handle myself."

The room fell silent for a second. Everyone in the room, besides Maki, processed that comment in their heads. "…What?!"

Jackie jumped from the sudden outburst. "What?"

"How in the world did you get yourself in juvi for four years?" Arthur asked. He decided to stay out of the usual nonsense but this was just shocking for him. He knew that the girl was rather chaotic but to go to juvi for that long.

She thought for a bit. "By getting really drunk and high one night and then setting a house on fire by crashing a car into it."

Maki laughed nervously since it was the truth, and because she said it so casually. Jackie had shared this with several other people before back in their world so she was used to it, but it still made the smaller girl a little uncomfortable. She glanced across the room and saw Alfred with his jaws dropped.

Ivan petted Jackie's head. "You are strong, comrade." He was always intrigued by her spontaneous actions and found her to be quite an entertaining girl.

The Brit shook his head in dismay. "Irresponsible Americans…" Here he thought Alfred was the crazy one.

Jackie was growing impatient and decided it was about time to go. "Let's go Ivan." The Russian led her out the door and the two left the room.

The American waited until he thought they were far enough and scooted to Maki. "How did you meet her?"

"Yes, how?" Ludwig asked as well. The two could not see how a quiet and well-mannered girl was close friends with someone that was such a troublemaker.

Maki scratched her head. She had that question coming since she's been asked that a lot too. "Long story short… she helped me out when I was in trouble and I helped her out in return." She didn't feel like getting into details.

"I see…" Kiku responded. Opposites attract so that may be why they were such good friends. One looked after another.

"But she's completely capable of herself so there's no need to worry," the girl said frantically. Jackie did not like being underestimated at all since she could indeed take care of herself in any situation.

Alfred grinned to himself. "Hey, I know." He lowered his head down to Maki's ear. "Let's stalk them."

She questioned herself to whether if he listened to anything she said. She looked up at him curiously. "How come..?"

Alfred smirked. "Who knows what the commie will do. Remember he _is_ unstable." Toris, who was still in the room, thought back to the Cold War era and slightly shuddered at the grim memory.

Maki sighed in defeat. It was a different world so she could help but to feel a _little_ worried. "I guess."

-_At the mall_-

The Korean girl gaped at what she saw as she entered the building. "Whoa, it's bigger than I thought."

"Da, it's quite impressive." Ivan looked around. He knew his German friend was proud of his architecture so it wasn't that much of a surprise to the nation. It was still unique nonetheless, compared to this own mall structures.

"Yeah." Jackie smiled at him. "Okay, so let's find this store." She's been dying to check it out all day and her patience was running pretty thin.

"Do you know what it is called?" he asked. She froze in place, with the smile still on her face. He smiled back. "I will take that as a 'no'."

She sulked for it was true. She only heard what the store had but never caught what it was called.

The Russian patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, comrade, we can search for it together, da?"

"Oh well," she shrugged, "let's find a directory or something." The name of the store should give it away. Ivan nodded in agreement and the two went to go search for one.

-_At a different place at the mall_-

About a couple of yards behind the two, a group of four was hiding around a corner. The American pouted and crossed his arms in frustration. "Why is my citizen hanging out with the commie?" He, Natalya, Toris, and Maki all decided to carry out his plan of following them.

The obsessive sister of a nation held up her signature knife, which gave off a threatening gleam. "Big brother is not a communist anymore!"

A sweat mark ran down Maki's head. She couldn't believe she was stuck following them. She was worried but at the same time she didn't want to doubt her best friend's capabilities. Another part of her also wanted to check out the new store she was so keen of going to. She's heard about it too while Gilbert dragged her to throw petty compliments as he tried on new clothes.

"Alfred… Natayla…" Toris also followed Maki's example. He knew how Ivan was so he couldn't help but to feel worried about her friend. Though, he also wanted to spend some time with Natalya since he kept getting rejected for whatever reason.

The Russian sensed a familiar presence behind him and glanced over his shoulder. "Hmm?"

Maki noticed him looking back and motioned everyone to be quiet and hide.

-_Other part of the mall_-

Jackie realized that his footsteps weren't following hers and turned around. "What's up?"

Ivan looked at her. "I thought I saw something," he shrugged and smiled, "but it was probably nothing." He didn't want her to be distracted and he knew that she would not like to know that people were underestimating her.

"Okay..?" She decided to forget it and found something that seemed to be the thing they were looking for. She hurried over to it but her excitement soon turned to dismay. "I found the directory but…" She slammed her head against it.

Ivan noticed why she was disappointed. "We _are_ in Germany after all."

Jackie whined. "And I can't speak German." The directory was in German since, like he mentioned, they were at a mall in Germany.

"No worries, comrade. I learned some from Kalingrad." The tall nation started to read and point out what some of the places were.

When he was done translating, Jackie hugged him. "Thank you!"

-_In hiding_-

"How Dare She!" The Belarusian hissed and prompted herself to dart out of the hiding place. Alfred held her back while completely ignoring her death threats.

Toris tried to settle her down. "Please calm down, Natalya; you're going to blow our cover."

"She touched big brother!" The girl fought against the American's grip. Luckily her knife was taken away ahead of time. Maki made a shushing notion although she knew it would be no help.

Ivan gasped and spun around. He frantically scanned the area. "Was…that…?"

Jackie looked at where he was facing. "What is it?" It must be something bad if _he_ was _that_ scared.

Behind a column, Alfred, Toris, and even Maki, all had to hold back Natalya.

The Russian brother shuddered. "I thought I heard my sister." Even though it was a common thing that she followed him, it was still an unsettling thought. The Korean girl titled her head. He looked down a little "She is scary…"

Jackie stared at him, looked around the mall, and then focused back on him. "Hey, come on, I wanna show you something."

"Okay…" he replied warily.

She then took his hand and led him to an ice cream stand in the food court. She went up to the counter. "Vanilla… uhh, no, wait, vanille…" The server nodded and proceeded to scoop two ice cream cones.

The four stalkers decided to rest at a table, out of the two's sight. Toris smiled at the sight. "Ice cream? How sweet."

"I forbid it!" The Belarusian growled. She couldn't believe how that girl was bewitching her precious brother.

Alfred chewed at the end of his straw from the drink he bought. He glanced at the Japanese girl sitting by him. "You're her best friend, right, Maki?" She nodded in response. She was tired from following their every step and was just about ready to return to the German brothers' house.

He pointed the straw at the two. "What's up with Jackie being all 'nicey' with the communist?"

"Not communist," commented Toris as he came to the table with drinks for the rest of the bunch.

Maki took her soda and thought about it. In actuality, she's been thinking about it the whole time. "It's probably because…" three pairs of eyes turned to her, causing her to panic a little, "s-she likes seeing people who seem alone being able to smile and have fun like everyone else."

Alfred raised his brow. "…Really…?"

"Wow…" Toris breathed. He hadn't really thought about it like that even if he always had to follow the Russian's wishes in the past.

The girl nodded. "That's my best bet."

-_With the stalkees_-

Jackie handed a cone to Ivan. "Here you go."

"Spasibo {Thank you}."

She grinned. "That's okay." She started to eat hers. Ice cream always helped at situations like this.

The nation smiled back and went ahead to eat his as well. "From looking at the directory, it looked like the new store is nearby."

Jackie's eyes widened, hinting a glimmer of excitement, and cracked a huge smile. She cheered loudly. "Yay! I need to catch up on my anime—" She stopped short. "Oh, wait, I bet it's in German…"

Ivan hoped that that would not discourage her altogether. Fortunately, he was right.

"Oh well, let's go!" The girl hurried off in a direction while the nation tagged behind in long strides.

Alfred watched them leave. "Let's follow them!" Natalya and Toris stood from their seats.

Maki groaned. Even after her explanation they were still keen on stalking them. "Are we going to follow them for the whole day?" She would rather be translating every line of a video game rather than to spy on her friend. It just felt wrong now.

"Totally!" He grabbed her wrist and dragged her along.

-_At the desired store_-

Jackie stood at the store's entrance and took in the atmosphere. It was a new anime shop filled with all things otaku. She took another step. "This place is huge!" She ran from shelf to shelf, isle to isle to check out the contents of the place. Ivan looked around and continued to follow her.

"Wow that is quite large." Toris and the others were observing from outside the store.

"Dude, I wanna check that out later." As being one of the otaku trio, Alfred knew he had to see what was in there. Maki nodded in agreement. She enjoyed anime-related things as well though she was not as hyperactive about it as her friend.

Jackie took a pit stop at some bins. "Oh my god, look at all the anime posters!" She looked at the displays next to it and pointed to the items as she called them out. "Miku figurine! Pikachu backpack! The Fullmetal Alchemist watch!"

Her random shouting was loud enough to be heard outside. Alfred turned to Maki. "She's an anime freak?"

"Yes, pretty much."

Ivan decided to just let Jackie enjoy herself and prompted to look at some of the things himself. He observed some figurines on a shelf. "Kiku sure comes up with unique things." He turned around and noticed that Jackie's energy had died down dramatically. He cocked his head. "What's the matter, comrade?"

She sighed. "Oh nothing… just a little discouraged because I can't buy anything." It didn't occur to her that she didn't have any money to start with. She was able to buy the ice cream because Maki shared some euros with her after leaving the café.

"Hmm…" Ivan would like to help her though he didn't carry any euros at the moment; only rubles from his home since he was planning to go straight home after the meeting.

"Oh well." She shrugged. She could always come back another time as long as Maki still stayed with Ludwig or something.

-_Outside the store_-

"Hmm," Toris looked curiously at Jackie and then at Maki, "why is she getting sad?"

She facepalmed as the thought struck her. "She doesn't have the money to get anything."

"Let her suffer for being with big brother!" Natalya beamed vengefully.

Alfred grabbed a couple of euros from his wallet. "Well the hero—"

"Can Go To H***!"

The sudden voice made Maki and Toris jump. The American spun around in surprise to find a clearly pissed off Jackie.

Behind her stood Ivan, who was smiling gleefully. "Hello you capitalist pig~."

"Big brother!" The Belarusian went up to him. "Why are you with that woman!?" She pointed at Jackie.

He looked nervously at his little sister. "G-go home!"

"Never!" She hissed. Ivan knew there was no way around this and decided to run away. She chased after him. "Why do you keep running from our inevitable bond?!"

Jackie marched up to Alfred and Toris and whispered something in their ears. They both turned pale and ran off after Natalya. The Korean girl smiled to herself.

Maki blinked and watched them leave. "…What did you tell them?"

"If Natalya didn't calm down then she would hurt one of Ludwig's citizens. And who knows how angry he would get from that." She grinned. That German did have pride for his people as any nation would.

"Ah…"

"But more importantly," the older friend turned to her, "why are you stalking me with three other nations?"

Maki froze and looked away from her friend. "I-it was just a coincidence. Alfred wanted to see the new shop too so… yeah…" She laughed nervously. It was not convincing at all.

Jackie groaned. "You were worried, weren't you?"

Her shoulders slumped. "Yes…" She faced her. "Gomen, I didn't want to follow you two the whole time but I was kind of, literally, dragged along halfway…"

The taller friend raised a brow but then shook her head. "You know, you just sounded like Kiku right there." Maki just sweatdropped at the comment since it was always being said to her.

"Ah, I see the capitalist pig." The Russian gazed at the other end of the mall.

The smaller girl flinched in surprised. "I see you managed to escape Natalya."

Ivan smiled anxiously. "Da, but that is because I have my big sister on speed dial." She always had a way to distract her one way or another so that he could safely flee.

Eventually, Alfred and Toris staggered up to the three, a bit out of breath from chasing the Belarusian around. Their effort was for nothing since Ivan made that call before the either of them could do anything.

The American fixed his glasses. "Dude, that was not cool!" He then caught Jackie glaring at him with Viking-like anger. "Uhh…"

"I am going to give you to the count of three to run." She cracked her knuckles. "Or you will be seeing my bloody version of the chainsaw massacre!"

Ivan smiled, with a hint of dark aura coming from him. "Want to borrow my pipe?" He held it up. He did not appreciate how the American was getting in the way of his hang-out. He could easily forgive the rest since they were obviously caught in Alfred's plan.

"Oh dear…" Toris decided to step out of the way and retreated to the side where Maki was.

The younger girl whispered to Alfred. "You may want to start running for your life…"

"Three!" Jackie dashed toward him with the pipe in hand.

Maki saluted at him. "It was nice knowing you."

He turned pale and started running. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

-_Ten minutes later_-

"We finally found the store!" Jackie cheered. After much running around, they lost their place in the mall and ended up searching for the anime place again.

"Finally." Maki sighed. She was once again lost in the mall but at least she wasn't alone this time.

Toris and Ivan walked in after them. The Lithuanian decided to go look around out of curiosity.

The Korean girl wandered to the manga section and sulked once more. "Everything is in German…"

Her friend glanced at the book in her hand and laughed nervously. "We are in Germany so it can't be helped."

"But Germans can speak English too!..." She looked away a little. "Maybe…"

Toris understood her frustration but another thought came to him. He went up to her and tapped her shoulder.

She put the book away and looked up. "What's up?"

"What happened to Alfred?" He hadn't seen him after Jackie chased him with that pipe.

She grinned. "Let's just say he's _hanging_ around."

The nation couldn't help but to have a bad feeling about that. "Oh, um, okay."

-_On the fourth story at the other side of the mall_-

"Dude!"

The American was obviously caught by the girl. He was hung upside down by his foot with a rope that was tied to the railing, overlooking the rest of the lower floors. Two heavy bags were in his hands, preventing him from getting up easily. His glasses were hooked on his belt so he couldn't clearly see his surroundings.

A random citizen from the first floor tugged on a security guard's sleeve. The man just looked away, with a slight gloom across his face.

"Nochmals {Again}…"

The citizen looked at him, shocked. "Nochmals?"

"Dies ist schon vorgekommen {This has happened before}."

…

-_Hetalia_-

**Hey Hey, Papa, give me vodka.**

**Hey Hey Mama, Hey Hey Mama,**

**I could never forget the taste of the pirozhki that I ate a long time ago!**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**I'm Russia!**

**Ah, a wondrous world**

**That can be seen with a single stroke of a brush**

**Winter in Siberia is super cold!**

**Below freezing! **


	7. Chapter 7: Sweet Magic

**Oh my gosh… It's been over a month, I feel so bad. New chapter! Sorry to keep you waiting! OTL **

**It's longer than usual to make up for the time!**

* * *

Sweet Magic

"So we meet again, early morning." The Korean girl leaned back in her seat, tipping the chair onto its hind legs.

Once _again_, the girls were stuck in another meeting with the nations. Maki was starting to wonder when they were allowed to just stay at home or something of that sort while Jackie was miraculously getting used to getting up early in the morning.

Ludwig seated himself across from them and sorted his meeting notes. "It will benefit your life, Jacklin."

A slam echoed through the partially empty room as a response. "Who told you that you could use my full name?!" The mention teen growled at him.

"Calm down," her friend murmured through her straw, "it's Ludwig; what did you expect?"

Jackie crossed her arms and pouted with a huff. She glanced at the younger girl. "Not even my mom calls me 'Jacklin' anymore."

Maki shrugged. It was true. "Speaking of mom…" the little girl paused, "when do you think we can get back home?" She titled her head, parting her bangs to the side a little, revealing eyes that hinted that something was missing.

"I don't know." Jackie shrugged. "Why? You miss them?" She knew that Maki was an only child but her parents were often gone for work, only been able to see them early in the mornings or on Sundays. Idea of homesickness didn't really cross the Korean's mind. She was enjoying herself in a world that she always dreamed of entering.

"Maybe…" The Japanese girl flicked at the corner of the paper she brought with her to sketch on. For a while she's been thinking about how her parents were doing. For a while she's been thinking about sleeping in her bed that Jackie claimed to be the 'most comfortable bed' she's ever laid on. For a while she's been thinking about the serene quietness that ran through her apartment house where the only loud noises were from her music or multiple clocks ticking in her room.

Her friend looked at her concernedly. "You aren't worried?"

Maki rested her chin on her hand. "Well, yeah, of course I am." She moved her gaze up to Jackie. "What if the other side's worried sick because we randomly disappeared? But does the time flow at the same pace?" Her worried brown eyes returned to the table. "I don't know…"

"…I wouldn't know." Jackie leaned back into the chair again. "Alfred's the one that sent us here."

Her friend just nodded and absentmindedly doodled on her paper. She was staring blankly into the sheet and the pen in her hand created abstract shaped that pictured of nothing as far as Jackie could tell. The older girl sat there in silence, not sure what to say next to possibly cheer her up.

Suddenly, a brunette nation glomped the both of them from behind. "Good morning~."

Jackie jumped from the sudden action while Maki only snapped out of her trance. She was used to the Italian's affection from staying at the German brothers' house since he kept visiting on a regular basis. "Good morning, Feliciano."

The other girl recovered herself. "Good morning to you too, Feli."

"Guten morgen," said Ludwig as he took a sip of coffee. Black coffee was Jackie's guess.

Kiku also joined the party in the room. "Good morning everyone."

"Ohayou." Maki gave him a meek smile.

The Italian nation waved at his Japanese companion. "Good morning~."

Jackie bobbed her head at him. "Heyo."

Kiku smiled at the company and then headed over to where the German sat. He lowered his voice to a hushed tone. "There seems to be a problem in the kitchen area."

Ludwig raised a brow. "What is the problem?" The last time he checked, everything was in order and going smoothly.

His ally nodded. "It would seem as if there was a terrible fall. There were crumbs of desserts everywhere."

"On no!" Unfortunately Feliciano was approaching them when he heard the last bit. "No desserts?"

The German rubbed his temples. "That _is_ a problem… if there are no snacks provided then the chaos would be crazier today." Most of the nations, especially Feliciano and Alfred, looked forward to the treats provided during the meeting breaks. His German chocolate cakes were the specialty and favorite, and now that the long hours worked to create them were gone, he was afraid of what would result later in the day. He sighed heavily. "I will have to look into it."

"That sucks." Maki drew random chibi figures on her paper.

As for her friend, it was much more tragic news. Jackie started whining. "No…dessert…?" Anime-styled tears ran down her face.

With a few strokes of the pen, the younger girl drew some desserts on her paper and handed it to her. "Here, have some imaginary cake and tarts."

"Cake!" exclaimed the Korean.

"Ve, where?"

Jackie started pounding, lightly, on the table. "I want cake!"

A sweatdrop slid down Maki's head. "I'll see if I can make some after the meeting…" She'd learned some recipes from Ludwig and Roderich and did not mind trying them for her friend's sake.

The girl paused and looked at her. "After talking about sweets, I have the sudden desire to eat some!"

"What can we do about it?" Maki retorted. It wasn't like a piece of cake was going to randomly show up in front of them.

Footsteps were heard as more people were filing into the room. Alfred was one of them and he managed to gett Ludwig's attention. "Hey Lud, why is there a smashed up cake in the hallway?"

At that, Jackie immediately stood up and rushed out the room to check it out. Maki yawned and decided to just have her friend report back to her later. "Cake abuse…"

Jackie returned shortly with a gloom. "You know how long it's been since I had any cake?"

"How long?" Feliciano titled his head.

"Two weeks!" She shook Maki by her shoulders. "I am cake deprived!"

Her friend managed to get her to stop. "Your Oppa doesn't give you any cake?" She imaged that Yong Soo was willing to get her just about anything because he was her heritage nation.

Jackie pouted. "It's not the same as the pure American sugar I'm used to."

"Ah…" Maki scratched her head. "Well, it'll be German sugar here then."

"American sugar!"

Alfred heard her random exclamation and hurried over to where the two were. He swung his arm over her shoulders. "American products!"

"American colored ice cream and cake!" Jackie continued shouting.

"Heck yeah!" the American shouted with her.

"The stuff that will make me puke!"

"YE—what wait?"

Kiku across the room could not help but to reminiscent over a certain flashback. He glanced to the side. "Colorful cakes…"

Jackie plopped down into her seat. "But I am running out of energy since I am cake deprived."

"That may be a good thing," Arthur commented as he walked by her.

She glanced up at him. "My body works differently."

The British man pretended to be intrigued to pass some of the free time at hand. "How so?"

Maki decided to tune out Jackie's explanation and rested her head in her arms on the table.

Feliciano noticed the low energy coming from the girl. She does have less energy than Jackie but it was low even for her. He knelt down by her to be on eye-level. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little tired…" She did not lift her head. It wasn't a complete lie since Gilbert would sometimes decide it was karaoke party night in his room and keep her awake, until Ludwig finally decides to shut him up. Otherwise, a tad of homesickness was getting to her. She decided that she would talk to Arthur later about the spell.

"Ve~." The Italian patted her head. His attention moved to the door when Ludwig walked in after talking to one of the maids about the dessert situation. He skipped over to the German.

The bulky nation shook his head. "The situation doesn't look too well."

"What's wrong?" Feliciano titled his head.

"It seems that some of the maids were pushed and they dropped the desserts for the meeting."

"Pushed?" Kiku was worried about the desserts as well but leaned toward to the sanity of some of the nations rather than to enjoying the snacks.

"Ja," the German made a face, "by some children that resides in this hotel." He could not believe that such mistake would slip into the kitchen even with the strictly enforced rules. He wondered how the kids were able to get into the kitchen area without getting caught by the hotel's lookout.

"Oh no~…" the Italian sulked. "That means no snacks."

An idea popped into the Korean's mind. Jackie glanced at Maki after Arthur and Alfred went to take their seats. "Hey Kiki-chan…"

The said girl raised her head a little. "Yes?"

She lowered her head near Maki's. "If they are having such a tough time with sweets…" she gave a sly grin, "then are you thinking of what I'm thinking?"

Maki blinked. "You don't mean…?" Jackie kept the smile on her face. She meant business. "But will we be allowed to?"

The smile faded a little. "…We will never know but we can definitely find out when the meeting goes crazy again."

"I guess so…" The younger girl was never ready to take risks like her friend but this involved dessert-making; something she genuinely enjoyed and would love to get more feedback on to polish up her skills.

Jackie beamed knowing that she brought up something that would distract her friend from whatever that was on her mind. "What are you planning on making?"

"Hmm…" Maki turned her paper over and started making a list that consisted of- cookie ice cream sandwiches, chocolate mousse, crepe, and strawberry tart. She wanted to maintain some class since the nations were much older than the two.

"Hm…" The black haired girl stared at the list. "I can make crepes." It was the easiest to make at the limited time they would have.

"Sounds appropriate," commented Maki. She checked put a checkmark by it. "What should the filling be?"

Jackie thought back to when she had crepes at a restaurant. "How about strawberry whipped cream?" That was probably the best thing she's had when it came to crepe fillings.

Her friend nodded. "I like that."

She smiled and then a thought occurred to her. "What about you? Some people might not like crepes."

The girl did make a good point. Maki looked at the list and found that none of them really appealed to her. She observed the nation-filled tables and scribbled a new item on the list. "Red velvet cupcakes."

Jackie gasped. "I love your red velvets."

"I'll save you two."

"Yes!" She cheered. "Okay, let's make a list of the ingredients."

The two girls made a compilation of all the things they would need as the meeting droned on. After waiting an hour, the usual chaos picked up.

Maki casually glanced at Jackie. "Should we sneak out now?"

"Totally." She slid her chair back slowly to avoid any annoying noises that would get too many people's attention. Maki folded the list and put it in her pocket and followed her example.

"This idea is awesome!"

"Shut up you bloody idiot!"

"Ve… no snacks…"

"Mein gott…"

Jackie slowly closed the door after the two slipped out of the room. She let go of the handle and turned to Maki. "Phew, we made it."

She nodded. "Now, where's the kitchen?"

Her friend scanned the halls and found the mess from the desserts. She pointed to the left. "That way."

The two made their way down to the kitchen. As they approached the door, a larger man in a chef's attire walked out of it, looking very distressed.

Maki whispered to the older girl. "Would he understand English?" It was a known language in Europe but it didn't mean every single person would know it.

"Maybe…" Jackie walked up to the man. "Excuse me."

He was startled for a second and looked down at her. "Ja?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Can you speak English..?"

"Ah," he smiled a little, "ja, I can. Is something the matter?"

A slight surge of relief ran through her. "Can we use your kitchen?"

He raised a curious brow. "How come?"

"Well…" She went ahead and explained the entire plan to him.

The chef's smile widened at each idea. "Oh! Wunderbar! You would do that for us?"

Jackie placed her arm over quiet-Maki's shoulder. "Me and my friend here; but we will do it for your sake too."

"I am sure we have the ingredients you need." He rubbed the back of his neck. "We have our hands full with cleaning and restocking so we won't be in your way very much. I will help you two as much as I can though."

"Okay!" Jackie grinned.

"Danke." Maki nodded at him.

The chef led the two into the kitchen. It was large and rather tidy for a kitchen. Then again, seeing how Ludwig was in the anime, this much was probably expected. Everything was clearly labeled and everyone was working efficiently. The girls took their place at one of the worktables after washing their hands while the man went to fetch all the things they need.

Maki tied the string of her apron and stepped onto the footstool. "Okay Jackie, I wrote down some reminders for when you make the crepes so make sure to follow those." She handed her the paper.

Her friend took it and did a mini salute. "Hai~."

The younger girl nodded and turned to the chef. "Herr Koch [Mister chef], could you make the strawberry whipped cream?"

"Ja!" He went right ahead and started it, following her recipe. The girls got to work on their own creations as well.

Jackie set out the bowl of crepe batter for Maki to see. "Consistent enough?"

She ran a whisk through it and raised it up. "Yeah, that's perfect."

"Okay, going to get the frying pan." The Korean went over the basics of the stove's use with the chef and prompted herself to start the crepes.

Maki finished her red velvet cake batter and prepared the cupcake pans. She's never seen one with thirty-five molds. It was amazing since she would be able to make seventy in twenty minutes, versus her forty-eight in one hour because she only owned a twelve-mold one.

"The whipped cream is almost ready, fraulein." The chef was whipping the pink stained filling to its fullest volume.

The Japanese girl nodded. "That's good." She scooped out the last of the batter and headed to the preheated oven.

"Aww… I messed up again."

"Gambare Jackie." Maki put the pans into the oven and set the timer on. She placed it in her apron pocket and started on making the frosting for the cupcakes.

The chef wrapped and refrigerated the filling to prevent it from melting. He wiped his hand with a towel. "Anything else you need, fraulein?"

"Uhh…" Maki looked up from the mixer. "Do you have an icing pipe and a large star tip?"

"I can quickly retrieve it." He went into what she guessed was the storage room and came back with the requested items.

The girl peeked behind the man. "How are the crepes coming along, Jackie?"

She set out a plate for her to see. "Are these good?"

Maki lifted some in the pile and examined them. "A little burnt but other than that, it's the right thinness."

"Oh whatever, I did my best," scoffed Jackie.

Her friend laughed a little. "I know." She took out her timer. "10 more minutes…"

"Okay, is this crepe good?" Jackie held up the one she just made.

"Yep."

"Yes! Now a hundred more to go." She sulked a little at the heavy thought and sighed.

The chef chuckled. "Since I finished the whipped cream, I can help you."

The energy returned back to the girl. "Okay. How about I place the fillings and stuff and you finish making the rest."

"Ja." He poured the batter for the next one into the pan.

Maki shut the fridge after placing the frosting into the piping bag. "I'll help too since I have to wait for the cupcakes to cool down."

"Are these crepes good?" The chef showed her the one he finished making.

"A little too thick." She commented. The timer in her pocket went off and she went to take the cupcakes out of the oven. "Smell that Jackie?"

"Yay!" She reached for one.

Maki smacked her hand with a spatula that was lying around.

"Wah!" Jackie pulled back and rubbed the place hit.

The younger girl waved it in front of her. "One, it's still 300 degrees and two, wait until we're all done here."

Jackie cried in exasperation. She really wanted to have cake right now and the delicious smell coming from, well, everything was not helping at all.

Maki went up to the station where the crepes were being prepared. "Do you want me to help make the crepes or fold them?"

"Fold them, bitte {please}." The chef was finishing up the last of the batter.

"What about me?" Jackie concluded her mini drama act, for now.

"What were you doing earlier?" Maki started filling and folding one.

She pointed at what her friend was doing. "That."

"I'll plate them then." She took the one she folded and placed it in a plate. She used some of the other filling ingredients the chef made available for them and started to decorate it a little. Maki smiled at her little creation in satisfaction and turned to the German. "How long do we have until snack?"

He glanced at the clock. "About thirty minutes."

"That's the last of it." Jackie finished filling and folding the crepes.

Maki sensed a shortage on time and set the plate she was working on in front of them. "Can you two finish decorating the rest like this one? I have to go back to the cupcakes."

"Okay." Jackie prompted herself to copy the design ten plates at a time. The other girl frosted the cupcakes with a simple rosette and placed them on the tiered shelf.

The chef wiped his hands as he finished his sets of plates. "It seems like you girls have everything set. I will let the nations know."

"Yes, thank you." Maki smiled at him. The thought of having the nations eat her and Jackie's desserts made her both happy and nervous.

"It is I who should be thanking you, frauleins." He smiled at them. It was a nice warm smile, something you would probably never see from Ludwig nowadays. He left the kitchen.

The younger girl blushed a little and muttered to herself. "It was nothing…" She just went with Jackie's plan but ended up carrying out most of the procedures without really realizing it. It felt a little nice for once, having people listen to you and come to you for feedback.

Jackie tugged at her shirt. "You take control of the kitchen, Kiki-chan."

Maki noticed that the desserts were all loaded onto carts by the kitchen staff. The maids and servers went ahead and started rolling them. Two carts were left over.

The Korean girl looked at it and then at her friend. "I guess we roll them to the meeting room too?"

"Seems like it." Maki manned one while Jackie got the other and they followed the five other carts back to the meeting room.

_-At the meeting_-

"Ve… Snack time is coming but there's no snack to look forward to." Feliciano slumped onto the table.

Ludwig sighed. "I am sorry but there will be no snack today." Technically speaking, it was best for everyone's health since having too many sweets is not always a good thing. But he did feel guilty and unaccomplished for not being able to fulfill his duty.

"That's not cool, man." Alfred was resting his chin on his hand and pouted.

"Yes, I must have some tea." The Brit crossed his arms. If he did not at least get his tea then he would be just as unpleased as the rest.

"Your scones would not help," Francis flipped his blonde wavy hair, "as disgusting as they are."

Arthur glared at him. "Didn't need your input, you bearded frog…"

"I didn't bring my snacks with me either, aru." Yao huffed. He usually did but lately no one's been taking them so he left them home today.

"Da…" Even Ivan looked a little down because of this.

The German shook his head. "I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."

There was a knock on the door, making everyone stop and stare.

"_Excuse me, your snacks are here."_

Feliciano raised his sleep head off the table. "Ve?"

"What?" Ludwig marched up to the door and opened it just a crack.

His main chef bowed at him. "Yes, we will be having red velvet cupcakes and strawberry whipped cream crepes."

"Erm, okay, I see." He did not know what happened and he did not really believe in them but this was one large miracle. The German nation went up to the front of the meeting room and cleared his throat. It was all quiet for once. "There has been a change of plans and snacks _will_ be served."

Feliciano threw his hands up in the air. "Yay!"

"Yes!" Alfred threw a victory fist pump.

"Tres bien~." Francis clapped his hands together.

Meanwhile, Kiku glanced back at the place where Jackie and Maki sat. He has been wondering why it's been unusually quiet and could not get a chance to see why earlier. Much to this partial-surprise, they were gone.

"Hmm…" The Russian was also looking at the empty chairs.

Berwald stared at the seats and turned to his Finland companion. "Wh'r's Ja'ki 'nd M'ki?"

Tino just shrugged for he was also wondering the same thing. "That is strange."

"I was wondering why it was quieter over there," said Arthur.

Ludwig stood by the door. "Where did they go run off to now..?" He had a certain feeling though, of where they could have possibly have went this time.

_-Outside the room-_

Jackie laughed to herself. "Won't they be surprised?"

Maki nodded. "I hope they'll like the sweets." To be praised by them would make her extremely happy and content. Presentation was one thing but the taste was also important. Now that she thought of it, she hadn't really had the chance to taste anything but the cake and its frosting. Knots were forming in her stomach now.

"They'd better," scoffed Jackie. She was glad that she was able to get her friend's mind off of home. Baking was something that made her really happy. It made the Korean really happy too because it meant delicious cake time.

The chef turned to face them. "The desserts have been introduced."

"Serving time?" Maki titled her head.

"I think he means that the nations know we are coming." Jackie grinned.

The German placed his hand on the door's handle. "Do you want me to open the door now?"

The short-haired girl looked at her friend. Jackie gave him a nod. "Sure."

_-Meeting altogether-_

The double doors opened up, revealing carts of desserts and among them, two familiar looking people.

"Hey!" Jackie waved her hand. "How are ya'?!"

Francis and several other nations flinched from the sudden voice. Alfred stood up from his seat. "Whoa, where did you come from?"

Maki peeked her head from behind Jackie. She decided it was a little embarrassing to present herself like this. She waved meekly at the nations.

"Oh." The Swedish nation's face did not change enough to tell his reaction clearly but he was just as surprised.

His friend sniffed the air as the carts rolled into the room. "Those smell good!"

Ludwig still stood at the front, supervising the servings. "This is a surprise."

"They look deliziosa~." Feliciano decided to go with the crepe.

"Thanks but the 'kitchen freak' said they are burnt." Jackie casually glanced at Maki.

Her friend decided to ignore her comment and smiled at the Italian. "Grazie, Feliciano."

Ludwig watched the two while everyone claimed whatever sweets they could get their hands on. Jackie started crying as the red velvet cupcakes started to disappear upon every bite.

"Hey…" Maki tugged at her friend's shirt. When she turned around, the younger girl held up a platter with two cupcakes. She had a feeling that something like this would happen so she saved them just in case.

"Cupcakes!" Jackie instantly hugged her. "Finally, I get my cakes!"

Maki balanced the desserts as she was being partially suffocated. The Korean girl swiped the cupcakes off the plate and ate them, with utter joy written right across her face.

_-At a restaurant_-

"Are you sure about this, Ludwig?"

After the meeting, the girls were taken to a restaurant of luxury proportions. Jackie having never been in a fancy place just had to express her surprise, though it came out more dramatic than it sounded in her head.

"Ja," the German nodded at her, "it is my way to express my gratitude for preventing chaos from occurring earlier."

Maki stared at the food on the table. Being small in size physically, she knew she would not be able to finish all the food. She didn't really eat much to begin with. Jackie on the other hand, could.

"What? Are these tiny corns?" She was just a picky eater.

"_Big brother."_

"_No."_

"_Big brother."_

"_No way."_

"_Big sister."_

"_You make no sense." _

Jackie looked at the other table and saw the Nordics. The Swedish man noticed her and waved.

She reflected the notion and smiled at him. "Hi Berwald!" Maki and Tino glanced up from the sudden outburst.

The Dane waved wildly too. "Hey guys!" He got up and went up to the three at the other table. "How ya doing?"

"Ludwig is treating us for dinner." Jackie high-fived the wild-haired nation. Maki looked at the two and wondered when they became friends.

"Nice," Dan grinned, "get as much as you can from him." The Dane was becoming friends with Ludwig as well and has been going out for drinks every now and then. A figure swept behind him and yanked at his tie.

"Forgive him."

Maki laughed nervously while the German just sighed. Ludwig cleared his throat and glanced at her and realized that she had barely touched her food. "Is something the matter?"

She flinched and took a bite out of a potato dish. "No, I'm okay." She was hungry but she couldn't get herself to eat.

Jackie looked over at her. "Maki-chan…" She hardly used her real name, only when she was worried about something.

The Japanese girl swallowed the food. It was quite delicious but another thought lingered in her head. She wanted to catch Arthur after the meeting but he had left soon after for other business. She couldn't ask him about the spell and who knows how long it would be until she would next see him.

She stuck another forkful of potatoes in her mouth. "Yes?"

"Ah," Jackie scooted her chair closer to hers. There was obviously something on her mind. "Don't worry, you're my little sis, so don't worry."

Ludwig and Lukas looked at her curiously. The girl sighed and played with the piece of broccoli on her plate. "I feel kind of guilty for staying here for so long… especially under your care, Ludwig." She timidly glanced up at him. She felt bad for practically being a freeloader at his home. He was constantly busy and all and before she could do anything, like clean the house or make him coffee, or something of those sorts, he'd already taken care of them early in the morning.

"Then stay with someone else," Jackie said casually.

"But…"

"What? I can't stay with Big Brother because of work-related stuff." She frowned. It was wonderful to be able to be with her heritage nation but it didn't occur to her until recently that he would be out a lot. "So…" She looked at her friend.

"So?" She tilted her head slightly.

"Are you going to stay with someone else?"

The girl poked at the broccoli again. "I don't know… It feels weird to randomly ask people."

Jackie went up to the Swedish nation. "Hey, would mind if I bunked with you this time?"

He stared at her for a moment and one wouldn't exactly see it in his face but he was a bit surprised that she would ask him such a question. "I d'n't mind."

The Korean girl smiled as she turned to her friend. A sweatdrop ran down Maki's head. "W-well, it's easier said than done for me."

"Well then, I'll ask for you." Jackie grinned at her reassuringly.

"Hello comrades."

The older girl shouted a bit from surprise and swung around to face the nation. "You scared me, Ivan." He giggled in response.

Maki was also startled from the sudden presence. "Hello."

"Hello, Ivan." The German nodded at him.

"Hello, Ludwig." He smiled at him.

Jackie gasped as a thought came across to her. "I know! Hey Ivan…"

The mentioned nation looked at her. "Da?"

"Kiki-chan needs a new place to stay. Would you mind if she stays with you?"

He tilted his head. "Oh?" He turned his attention to the Japanese girl. "Ludwig is too busy, da?" She nodded slowly.

The German sighed a bit. "Ja, and I cannot force her to put up with anymore of my bruder's nonsense." It was not healthy for her, in all means possible.

"I can spare a room then." Ivan smiled warmly at her.

Maki was pleased that the situation was taken care of this easily but Ivan was new to her. She wasn't exactly 'scared' of him like how the other nations were but he certainly was a different character. "T-thank you."

"Aww don't worry." Jackie patted her back. "Ivan is a big teddy bear so he won't hurt you." The mentioned nation blushed slightly at the comment.

Tino rested his chin on his hand and looked at the gathered group. "I somehow can't believe that you befriended Ivan, Jacklin."

The Korean girl groaned a little at the last bit. "Again with my full name."

Maki giggled at her, but at the same time wondered how things were going to be now that the two were going to stay at new places. Jackie was obviously familiar with Berwald, but for her to be with Ivan…

…

_-Hetalia-_

**Hey hey Jackie, could I have some soda? **

**Hey hey Kiku, hey hey Kiku,**

**I could never forget the taste of the new world that I randomly fell into! **

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**I'm Maki!**

**Ah, a brand new world**

**That you could go to because of America. **

**Let's just enjoy our time!**

**Hetalia!**


	8. Chapter 8: My Time With the Nordics

**Aiyah, we're alive. It's mostly my fault being busy with school. Here is EliteKessu's chapter for Jackie's side of the story. If there are error (grammar, structure, typos, etc) then I apologize OTL **

**Enjoy. **

**K bai.**

* * *

My Time with the Nordics

It was two days after Jackie got to Berwald's home. The house was like a small red barn that converted into a nice comfy home. The kind of barns you see back in America where the outside looks like it's red but it's not.

Jackie was having a real good sleep when she heard a loud banging sound.

_"DENMARK IS IN THE HOUSE!" _

_Of course_. Jackie groaned and dropped her head on the pillow.

Suddenly her door opened up and a certain Danish man ran into the room. Jackie sat up from the bed. Then she glared at Dan. He waved his hand excitedly. Jackie frowned at him. Just then Lukas walked into the room, muttered a sorry to Jackie, grabbed Dan by the tie, and dragged him out of the room. Tino peeked into the room while Jackie was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Good Morning Jacklin." Tino smiled.

"I thought I told you not to use my full name," Jackie said harshly.

"Now, now, there is no need for you to get so angry so early in the morning, Jacklin." Tino smiled. Then he disappeared behind the door. "It's time for you to wake up anyways."

Jackie growled. Her morning grogginess didn't smooth out however. Nonetheless, now that she was awake, she couldn't go back to sleep. Jackie stood up from the bed and opened up the window.

If it wasn't obvious, the Nordics are a regular visitor of the Swede's household. Not that either Berwald or Jackie minded but Dan was getting annoying. Jackie was about ready to slam him against the floor and make sure barrels of lead weighed down on his back.

Jackie came down the stairs and wandered into the dining room. Tino was already eating breakfast with Berwald. Jackie took her seat across from the two nations and ate her breakfast as well. Today it was an open sandwich which apparently is a normal breakfast food in Finland. Dan, Lukas, Emil entered the room as well. Lukas sat down next to Jackie, Dan sat down next to Lukas, and Emil took the end of the table. Peter came into the room about a minute later and sat down at the other end of the table.

"Let's do something fun today," Tino said suddenly.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea!" Dan smiled widely.

"Shut up," Lukas said.

Jackie looked at Tino. "What do you have in mind we do?"

"How about we visit my country?" Peter announced. Jackie can feel a drop of sweat roll down the side of her head. "Come on, that will be fun!"

"Peter, you're not a country." Tino said politely.

"Yes I am. I am an awesome country!" Peter boasted. Tino could only sigh.

"Hey how about we go to a party?!" Dan suggested. He actually stood up from his seat for this. "We could drink all the beer we want! I mean Midsummer Day is happening tomorrow! So let's all drink until no more!" Dan turned to Jackie. "Hey, wouldn't that sound like a great idea?"

"I don't drink." Jackie was still pissed about the early wake up call.

"Come on, you're eighteen right? You can drink!" Dan insisted.

"I'm seventeen." Jackie growled. "And in America, people are not allowed to drink until they are twenty-one. I rather do that than be stupid."

"Smart." Lukas nodded his head in approval.

"Wh't abo't yo'?" Jackie turned to Berwald. "Wh't wou'd y'u like to d'?"

"Uhhh . . ."

_-At a random shopping center-_

Jackie looked around the plaza. It wasn't particularly big but maybe it's because of the crowd. It barely took ten minutes for the seven of them to lose each other in the crowd. With nowhere else to go really, Jackie decided to sit down on a stone wall by a row of trees. She was glad that she had her small sketch book from the mini contest in Germany.

She didn't draw anything special, just a tree branch with a bird on it. And she was almost done with it until a certain Danish man decided to surprise her.

"HEY!" Dan slapped an arm over Jackie's shoulder. She growled and glared at him. "What's with that glare? It took a long time to find you, you know!"

"Orders from Lukas, no doubt." Jackie smirked. Dan could only look away and blush. Jackie started laughing.

"Anyways, let's get out of here." Dan stood up from the stone wall. Then he noticed the sketch book in Jackie's lap. "Hey, let me take a look at that." Jackie handed the sketch. "Damn, this is one hell of a drawing."

"You want it?"

"Serious'?!" Dan smiled widely as he gently took the picture of the sketch book. Then he handed the empty pages to Jackie. "You know, you're not as bad as I thought."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" Jackie playfully punched Dan in the shoulder.

"Ow! Hey, that hurt you know!" Dan growled.

"So what?" Jackie stuck her tongue out at Dan.

"Anyways, let's ditch this place."

"Yeah, that's cool."

_-Meanwhile. . .-_

"Y'u're su'e yo' haven't se'n her?" Berwald asked Lukas. He has been searching for the Asian girl ever since he noticed that she was gone. He was worried though he didn't express it.

Lukas shook his head. "I didn't see the idiot either."

"Any luck?" The two Nordics turned to see Tino and Peter running towards them; both exhausted. "You found Jacklin yet?"

"No, not yet." Lukas sighed.

"Hey, where's Dan?" Peter asked in curiosity. He looked around the area to try to find the loudest Nordic. When he failed to find him he looked at everybody else.

"He's probably out drinking again." Lukas sighed.

Tino sighed as he sat down on a stone bench. He heard approaching footsteps and saw Emil walking towards the group. Since he was alone, it was only good to assume that he had as much luck as everyone else. Tino looked up at Berwald and he could tell that he was worried. He couldn't blame him. Jackie _is_ under his charge. It was natural for him to feel that way. Back in the Viking days he would do anything he can to protect those he cared about.

All of the sudden the Nordics heard a loud ringing sound. Everybody (besides Berwald) visibly jumped. Peter looked under the stone bench and saw a cellphone. He picked it up.

"Oh, it was just a cellphone." Tino laughed nervously; embarrassed he got scared by such a simple thing.

Berwald just stared at the phone. For some reason it looked really familiar. Then in a single instant he remembered. He should since he had seen it just this morning.

"Th't's Ja'kie's. . ." Berwald announced.

"It is?!" Tino exclaimed.

Berwald held out his hand for the cellphone. Peter gave it to his adopted dad. He answered the call.

"H'llo?"

_"Huh? Berwald?"_

"H'llo Ivan." Berwald greeted.

_"Where is my little comrade?"_ Ivan sounded so confused.

"Do y'u ne'd someth'ng fr'm Jack'e?" Berwald asked.

_"I do not need to tell you, comrade."_ Ivan spoke in a dark tone. Then he hung up the phone.

"W-was that really Ivan?" Tino asked in a worried tone. Berwald just nodded his head. The smaller nation let out a nervous sigh. "Now why would Ivan call Jacklin?"

Everybody looked at Berwald with a worried expression. Then they remembered the little announcement in which Jackie invited the Russian for some time. Now that made everybody fear for the girl's life. It was to their surprise when Jackie was at the meeting with her best friend. It looked as though there was not a single scratch on her either. And when the Russian came into the room, the two of them casually greeted each other. Maybe Jackie and Ivan have became friends? If that is the case they Jackie had accomplished an incredible feat.

"Wait, why is her cellphone here?" Peter asked randomly. It made everybody focus on the task at hand.

"Then it must mean that she has been here." Tino smiled. Then his mood turned blue. "But where is she now?"

"We also have another issue." Lukas announced.

Berwald nodded his head. "D'n is miss'ng too."

_-? You don't know some words-_

Jackie sighed in frustration. Why did she agree to go along with the Dane's stupid plan?

"Kesesesese~! Oi~West~, get me more beer!" Gilbert shouted.

"And wine for moi~!" Francis shouted as he collapsed on the Prussian.

Jackie buried her face into her hands. As of right now she is at Germany's house because Dan dragged her butt over here. Of course she was still tired from waking up too early and took a nap in Dan's car. Now she was stuck here.

To make matters worse, the BTT are here with a drunken British man and two Italian men; namely Lovino. Of course the both of them are drunk as heck. The only ones who aren't are herself and . . .

"BRUDER!"

. . . Ludwig.

Ludwig growled at the mess everybody was making. Bottles and cans were being littered all over the nice wooden floor and his furniture are getting ruined. Jackie was staying on the safe side and sitting along the staircase. Ludwig's dogs were either upstairs or outside. It didn't matter to Jackie as long as they didn't bark at her. At least they weren't making a mess of things.

Feli was clinging to Ludwig earlier but right now he's currently trying to control his brother's anger by giving him a hug therapy. It wasn't helping in the slightest. If anything it was only making things worse.

Ludwig finally gave up in trying controlling everything and turned to Jackie.

"YOU TOMATO BASTARD!" Lovino shouted. Feli was struggling against the hug. "Damn it! Feliciano get off of me!"

"Yes my little tomate~?" Antonio swooned at Lovino's feet.

"Ve~ Fratello~." Feli just kept on hugging him.

"LET ME GO FELICIANO!"

"I am sorry about this, Jacklin." Ludwig said.

"Nah, it's alright." Jackie growled at the mess. "Let's make it so that they clean up the mess during their hangover."

Ludwig nodded his head at the idea. Then he took a good look at the girl, who was wearing Dan's long black coat. The Dane just gave it to her so she could hold it. Since she was cold, Jackie decided to wear it.

"If you'd like, I can drive you to Berwald's home."

"That would be a good idea if your tires weren't slashed." Jackie sighed. Take a wild guess who accomplished that.

"Ja, if only." Ludwig sighed. He laughed nervously. "How are you fairing at Berwald's home?"

"Hmm?" Jackie looked startled. "Oh, I'm doing good. I just got to get used to Dan's antics."

"Dan?"

"Uhhh Magnus, Denmark, you know, Dan,"

"Oh." Ludwig still looked confused. He shook his head and turned to see the mess. In a matter of a couple of minutes, there was twice as many bottles and trash on the ground. Ludwig groaned.

"Hey Ludwig." Jackie leaned forward onto her knees. Ludwig turned his attention to Jackie. "You can take a drink if you want."

Ludwig took a look at a lone bottle of beer on a nightstand and then back at her. It was not a good idea. But he was longing for a single drink of his favorite beverage. It's taking a lot of his willpower to not drink any beer. Jackie just smiled; silently encouraging his urge. Ludwig gave in and took a long drink from the bottle. Then he disappeared into the living room where the chaos was.

_"Yay! Luddy, come drink with me~!"_ Feli said in a sing-song voice.

Jackie took this chance to escape to Ludwig's study. It was five minutes into the drive from Sweden to Germany that she realized that she didn't have her cellphone on her. And Dan was not really going to help at all. Jackie was glad that nobody has really come to the stairway. Jackie entered the study and quickly headed for the phone.

Jackie dialed the first number she knew by heart.

_-Elsewhere-_

Tino was on the verge of panic if panic wasn't already present. The Nordics came to the conclusion that Dan took Jackie somewhere and they have no idea where. Lukas was pretty sure that Dan was still somewhere in Europe but even so Europe is a big place.

Everybody was assembled at Berwald's home trying to think of places where the wild Dane could have taken her. Just when the tension was thickening Jackie's cellphone started ringing. Berwald took a look at the caller I.D. and was glad it wasn't Ivan again. Even though they weren't exactly enemies, he still had some bad blood leftover. Berwald shook the thought out his head and answered the phone.

"H'llo?" Berwald greeted.

_"Ah. B-b-berwald."_ Maki stuttered.

"Mak'."

_"Hello. . .sorry to bother you but I know where Jackie is."_

"Yo' know wh're Ja'kie is?" Berwald repeated. That caught everybody's attention in the room; Tino especially. Berwald let Maki finish talking before he hung up. Berwald looked at the worried expression on Tino. "Ja'kie is t Lu'wig's h'me."

Tino let out a breath of relief. "That's good."

"Th'y're hav'ng a drin'ing party." Berwald finished.

"What?!" Tino's panic returned once more. Then he turned to Berwald. "Let's go get her. Who knows what might happen."

"Right'."

_-? Party, You don't know some words-_

"I can't believe it." Jackie muttered into her hands again. Berwald was sitting next to her.

It didn't take long for the Nordic to arrive to the German's house. But as soon as he stopped the car, the drunks of the house ran outside, even Ludwig (Feli went along for the ride). They all left the house, completely abandoning it. Jackie couldn't leave knowing that there was no way for the drunks to get their way back inside if she left, so she and Berwalrd agreed to babysit the house. Currently, they were sitting on the step of the backyard porch.

Patience was waning thin for Jackie.

Berwald on the other hand was relieved that Jackie was alright. Of course he was going to have a long talk with the Dane when he returned. He was pretty sure Lukas will have a better time handling Dan than him but still. . .

"Hey Berwald, what time is it?" Jackie asked.

Berwald took out his phone. "A lit'le aft'r three."

"Great." Jackie frowned. "Dan better not wake me up early after this." Jackie yawned loudly then wiped the extra tears from the corners of her eyes. Berwald quickly looked at her.

The Korean girl was looking a little cold. He would have liked to say something but he was too embarrassed to.

She looked up at the tall nation. It looked like he was glaring at her.

"What is it?" Jackie asked calmly.

"Hmmm." Berwald turned away, not really wanting to say anything to her.

"Okay." She shrugged.

Then silence. The girl sighed; half wishing the drunks would come home and half wishing she wasn't so bored. Then she remembered that she had a sketch book with her. She took out the empty pages and the pencil she always carried.

Berwald watched her.

After a long silent moment, Jackie placed the pencil to the paper. The Swede could only marvel at how fast and intricate she placed every line. In a matter of seconds he could guess what the picture was. Jackie on the other hand was only doing what naturally came to her. She settled for a nice picture of a flower field. Or a garden. Maybe more of a garden since her mom had a garden in the backyard.

"And . . . done." Jackie held out the sketch book at arm's length.

"Y'u're very goo'." The nation complimented.

"Thanks Berwald." Jackie smiled at him. Then she turned to a fresh new page. "Do you want a picture Berwald?"

"Hmm?" He quickly turned to Jackie. Again it looked like he was glaring at her. "A pi'ture?"

"Yeah." Jackie nodded her head. "I usually draw for other people."

"Oh."

"So do you want a picture?"

"N' thanks."

"Are you sure?"

"'es."

"Okay."

Jackie turned to her sketch book again and drew something else.

"Hey Berwald."

"Hmm."

"You know that in my world, you're always portrayed as scary?"

Berwald quickly turned to Jackie again; this time of shock. She stopped drawing for a moment and looked up at the moon for no apparent reason. It just seemed nice tonight.

"What?" Berwald asked.

"Yeah." Jackie shrugged Dan's coat more over her shoulders. "In my world, even Tino is a little scared of you. He just doesn't have the heart too tell you. Frankly, I find that rude. I mean you're not scary." Jackie chuckled. "Actually you remind me of a mom if anything at all."

"A m'ther?"

"Yeah, totally."

This was a little weird for the Swede. Not a lot of people outside of the Nordics strike up a conversation like Jackie just did. He blushed at the whole mother compliment.

"Hey isn't it true that Swedish dads are more of the stay-at-home moms?" Jackie asked. Berwald could only nod his head. Jackie chuckled. "I find that pretty cool. My mom is more of the I-need-to-work-hard-for-my-children-that-I-barely-spend-time-with-them type."

"I see." So maybe Jackie was seeking parental feelings for a real parent. Berwald would tell her that but that would seem like he was prying at her for personal information, so he just kept his mouth shut.

Suddently Jackie giggled.

He quickly whipped his head to her. She was doubled over; hovering over her knees, laughing her head off. Berwald was pretty sure he didn't say anything funny so why was Jackie laughing? She was laughing so hard that her face was starting to plump into a reddish color.

"..." Jackie said under her breath.

"Huh?" It definitely look like he was glaring at her but he was more concerned if anything.

"I said," she gasped for breath, "do you mind if I call you 'mom' from now on?"

. . .

This is a time where Berwald would remain speechless.

...

_-Hetalia-_

**Hey hey Maki, could I have some sake? (No.)**

**Hey hey Oppa, hey hey Oppa,**

**I could never forget the taste of the cultures I've never had before!**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**I'm Jackie!**

**Ah, a cultural world**

**That could be seen with the swipe of a brush.**

**Let's have some cake! **

**Hetalia!**


	9. Chapter 9: White Nights

**This chapter's a little mellow compared to the previous one. I blame me for listening to Ib's title theme the whole time I was writing this. I guess warning that there's more description/context than dialogue. **

**Either way… Enjoy~**

* * *

White Nights

"Here we are." Ivan set down some luggage inside as he held the front door of his home open.

Maki timidly walked into the grandeur house. The two had arrived to Moscow from Germany at around nine at night. She ended up falling asleep during the two hour flight and the drive to Ivan's home. Something about long distance traveling made her sleepy. It was either that or because that she's been having restless nights.

The girl observed the rooms in awe. There were unique Russian décor everywhere, giving the house a comfortable and hospitable atmosphere. It was warm and inviting. She smiled as she saw some Matryoshka dolls sitting side by side up above the fireplace. She turned to the Russian after he had closed the door. "This place is very nice."

He smiled. "Thank you, comrade." He took the girl's bags and led her upstairs to a hallway that was lined with doors. He turned to her. "Pick a room; whichever one you like."

Maki walked slowly down the hall. There were empty feelings coming from all of them as if no one had been in them for years. It was eerie but at the same time she felt kind of bad, knowing his past history and all. She didn't want to be a burden so she turned around and chose the room closest to the hall entrance, for ease of access for both herself and for Ivan. "I'll go with this room, please."

"Okay." He set her bags down inside. He noticed that dust had collected on the window and bed. He opened up the shutters and dusted off the furniture swiftly with a couple of swipes of his large hands. He spun on his heels to face his new little guest. "Try not to be too comfy though, comrade."

Maki looked at him curiously. "How come?"

He smiled. "I was going to be moving to my dacha for the summer, tomorrow."

"Dacha?" She's never heard of that.

"Da~ it's my…. How do you Americans put it…" he thought for a second, "summer home."

"I see." Maki imagined a house in the more rural part of the country, away from the bustling cities.

Ivan smiled and then tilted his head. "How would you like some food?"

"Umm…" The girl had not eaten since three except for a slice of chocolate cake Ludwig made. "I'm—" Her stomach growled a little. She blushed and looked down at shoes. "T-that would be nice, thank you…"

Ivan laughed softly. "Of course, comrade. We will have dinner then." It was later than usual for him to prepare dinner but then again they were on a flight.

The Japanese girl smiled and nodded. She gathered up the nerve to face him again. "W-would you like some help?"

"Oh no, I can prepare it myself." The Russian petted her head. He appreciated her offer but she was still a guest. "Why don't you go wash up in the bathroom down the hall in the mean time?"

She nodded and Ivan left the room to go prepare the meal. Maki let out a sigh, releasing the tension she built up inside of her. She wasn't afraid of him like most other nations did, no. It may have been because he's really tall and mysterious or because she was alone. Jackie had left to stay with Berwald a day before. She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. He was kind enough to let her stay at his home. The girl removed her jacket and went off to the bathroom to wash sleep off of her face and to cleanse her hands.

-_One wash later_-

Maki wandered about slowly, looking at the various portraits and tapestry that hung on the walls. She didn't want to look into the rooms though since that would be rude. She made her way back into her room and sat on the bed. It was soft and cool to the touch. She hopped off and pulled out a small notebook and silver pen from her carryon bag. Ever since her stay at the German brothers' place, she had been recording her days in the notebook she bought for herself. You could say it was a journal or even a diary, but she wasn't as obsessed, or dedicated, as Gilbert. She only marked down important events like one of today- she stays at Ivan's home in Moscow, Russia.

She flipped the pages to go to the next blank sheet but several photos flew out in the process. She gathered them off the dusty floor and placed them on the bed. They were both memorable and random pictures she has been taking since Day One of them being warped into the new universe. The girl smiled lightly and even stifled a laugh at some ridiculous looking ones. The last one struck her silent though. The usual monotonous expression returned to her face as she closed the notebook.

"_It's time to eat, comrade~!" _

Maki heard the clatter of bowls and spoons being set on a table downstairs. She slipped the book under the pillow and followed the smell into the dining room. The room was rather large with a long table that would seat at least ten people total. At the end, nearest to the kitchen, a bowl of bright red soup was waiting for her. She softly cleared her throat. "It smells really nice."

Ivan poured water into two glasses and pulled out the chair for her to sit on. "Spasibo, tovarishch {Thank you, comrade}." When she took her place, he gently pushed it in.

The girl wasn't sure of what he just said so she just smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome~."

Maki looked down at the lone soup and bread slices and back up at the Russian. "Are you eating?" It felt odd for her to be the only one to.

He giggled. "I already ate, comrade, while you were sleeping on the airplane." The flight attendant asked if they wanted to eat so he took up the offer. He didn't want to wake Maki up though since she seemed to be really tired.

"Oh." Maki laughed softly. Of course, it would have been time for supper anyway. "My bad…" She timidly took the silver spoon from the neatly placed napkin.

"It's alright, padrooga." Ivan realized her uneasiness and took a seat across from her. He smiled gently and beckoned her to eat.

The brunette reflected the expression and ladled some of the red soup into her spoon. She carefully sipped it since it was still hot. Her anxious expression turned into one of surprise. Honestly she wasn't sure of the bright red soup because it was unusually bright red but it was much better than she had expected. She looked up at Ivan. "It's really good."

"Spasibo {Thank you}." The Russian smiled warmly. It was a recipe he knew from heart, a meal his older sister used to make for him all the time. Plus borscht was his favorite food, especially with rye bread.

After about fifteen minutes of soup-eating and small chitchats, Maki finished her late supper. She wiped her mouth and got up to clear the dishes.

"You know comrade, I was wondering…"

She glanced up at him. "Yes?"

Ivan rested his chin in his palm. "What have you experienced during your stay with Ludwig?" Germany was an interesting place he will admit. Not as big or impressive as motherland Russia but it had its own little impressiveness. It must have been quite something though, especially with Gilbert around.

Maki thought about it for a moment. She went sightseeing several times with either of the Germans, baked every now and then, walked around town, did morning exercises, and… A slight gloom fell over her head. There was so much stress from being around Gilbert. The pranks, the obnoxious laughs, the violation of personal space; they were a bit too much.

The Russian tilted his head as he noticed the heavy air above her. "Hmm?"

She shook her head. "N-nothing. It wasn't that bad. I went sightseeing and…yeah."

"I see." He pulled out a flyer he got in the mail and placed it onto the table. "How do you like the sound of a film festival?"

The gloom was lifted off of her. "Film festival?"

"Da," he slid the paper out for her to see, "there is one being hosted right now."

Maki took the flyer. It was in Cyrillic but by the looks of the pictures and some of the films listed it seemed to be a lot of fun. It definitely was different from basic sightseeing. She handed it back to him. "That's nice."

Ivan folded the flyer in half. "You sound… tired…" He was a little disappointed at her lack of enthusiasm.

"Oh um…" She mentally smacked herself upside the head. She didn't mean to discourage him. She really was interested but the wrong choice of words came out. "Maybe a little jet lag but I'm not that tired. Don't worry." She smiled the best she could.

The Russian chuckled softly and stood up from his seat. "It is nighttime and rest is necessary." He took her dishes and cleared them away for her.

"Y-you're right…" Maki rubbed the back of her neck; though she felt like all she's done is sleep so far.

At that, she went up to her room, got changed into her pajamas, and prompted to go to sleep. It was eleven at night. She wondered how she was going to fall asleep but she did anyway before she knew it.

_-The next morning-_

Maki woke up to the soft vibrations from her phone. She felt around under her pillow and turned off the alarm she had set. She drew the device out and opened her eyes against the bright sunlight coming from the window. It was eight-thirty.

She washed up and changed to a red flannel and Capri jeans. She loosely slipped on her shoes and shuffled downstairs.

A young man with short blond hair, green eyes, and glasses set down his mug of coffee. The Baltic nation smiled as Maki came into the dining room. "There she is."

She stopped by the stairs. She wasn't expecting visitors. "G-good morning, Mr. Eduard."

The Estonian chuckled. "Just Eduard is fine."

Smell of breakfast foods wafted into the room. Maki wandered into the kitchen. Instead of seeing the tall Russian, a brunette with his hair tied back was cooking eggs and sausages in a pan.

He noticed a presence in the room and looked back. He smiled. "Ah, Miss Maki, did you sleep well?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you, _Mr_. Toris." She felt the need to add the 'Mr.' because he had called her 'Miss'. She glanced at the food prepared on the counter. There were eggs, sausages, and something that looked either like cheese or bread. Or even tofu. She looked up at the Lithuanian. "Where is Ivan?"

He turned off the stove and slid the eggs and sausages onto the third and last plate. "He said he had to run some errands so he called Eduard and me over." He picked up two plates and headed to the dining hall.

That made sense, the girl guessed. He was a major nation that would be just as busy as Ludwig. She gathered up the utensils and the other plate and set them onto the table.

_-After the meal-_

"So how are you doing, Miss Maki?" Toris stacked up the plates to clear the table. He'd seen the girls slip out of the meetings and always wondered where they went.

She sipped her black tea. "I'm doing fine, thank you. How are things at your homes?" She looked at both Baltics. She did not really pay attention to affairs regarding these nations in particular so it was nice to hear it in person.

The Estonian adjusted his glasses. "Well things have been looking up at my place lately. I've been one of the first ones to recover from the drastic cold that's been around so I feel great."

Toris came out of the kitchen and laughed softly. "You're very lucky Eduard. My people have been really unsatisfied recently. It's a bit stressful."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Maki. Being a nation seemed to be such a hard job and to see their people turn on them must be stressful.

The Lithuanian smiled and tied his apron back on. "Don't worry about it, Maki. I know things will look up for me too eventually." He went into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

She watched him leave. He was a workaholic like he was portrayed in the manga. She turned to Eduard. "Where's Raivis?"

He shrugged. "I think his boss wanted him to finish up some work. But he will be coming to the film festival with us."

She tilted her head. "_'With us?'_"

"Oh that's right," he laughed. "The three of us goes to the festival annually. We might be seeing you and Ivan around."

She nodded in understanding. "What is the festival like—Wait won't you come with us?"

"Umm..." He scratched his cheek. "We will be leaving early."

Or that they just want to avoid going with the Russian, she thought. "Okay, I see."

He nodded and cleared his throat. "Anyway, the festival is quite something. I enjoy watching the different films that are submitted. It's really an international event so you might see some other nations around as well."

An international films festival; she was really excited to go now. Maki concealed a smile. "I can't wait."

_"Comrades, I'm home~." _

Eduard abruptly stood up and scurried into the kitchen.

_"Huh? Now? But I'm not finished with the dishes—Hold on, Eduard!"_

The Estonian dragged Toris out with him and then proceeded to the front door.

_"Aww~ leaving so soon, droogs {friends}?" _

_"Yes, well, we have some things we need to do before the festival so we can't be lingering now."_

_"Oh well. Thank you for looking after my little comrade."_

_"W-with pleasure, Mr. Ivan."_

The door opened.

"Bye, Miss Maki! It was a pleasure meeting you!" shouted the Lithuanian as he was pushed out by his friend.

Ivan closed the door and giggled. "Aren't they're silly as always."

He peeked into the dining room but found it empty. "Funny, I thought she would be in here." He heard the clatter of plates and the trickle of water. "Oh~."

The Russian stood by the counter as he watched Maki wash the dishes from breakfast. He had eaten some leftover borscht before leaving in the morning so he was fine. He decided to snack on a slice of rye bread though. He set down his little package in hand.

The sound of the paper bag startled the little one. Maki gasped and swung around but she sighed in relief upon seeing that it was just Ivan. She had finished the last of the plates so she shut off the water and wiped her hands with the towel. "Welcome back."

Ivan giggled. "Spasibo."

She looked curiously at the new brown paper bag that was on the counter. "Where did you go so early in the morning?"

"Just went to buy a little something." He smiled innocently. Then he glanced at the clock. It was only ten. "Well comrade, we have a quite a bit of time before our flight to St. Petersburg. What would you like to do?"

The girl stood there and thought. She never liked that question, especially now that she was in a brand new place. She smiled and looked up at him. "Surprise me."

_-Several hours later,_ a_t St. Petersburg_-

Ivan helped Maki off the train. They had walked around Red Square before heading to the Russian's summer home. They had visited the St. Basil Cathedral and wandered through the lesser known craft shops. Then they had returned to retrieve their belongings and made their flight to St. Petersburg. It was convenient by how his second home was just a train ride away from the film festival.

The girl stretched her legs. That was the second time she'd ever been on a train and she thought it was pretty neat seeing so much waterways because that would be the last thing you would think about seeing when you consider the giant landmass of Russia. St. Petersburg was at the very north of the country near Estonia and Finland. If you were up high enough, you could see the Baltic Sea.

"Are you ready to go, padrooga?" Ivan asked her. It was almost six and the first of the films was to begin soon.

She nodded and the two made their way through a thick crowd. The end of June and beginning of July were the times of heavy tourism in St. Petersburg because of the White Nights festivals. The 'white night' wasn't as noticeable in Moscow, Ivan told her. They didn't have to worry about staying out late because it wasn't going to be dark at all.

"Wow…" Maki gasped as she saw the huge crowd of people in the streets. She paused for a moment to absorb her surroundings. She disliked large crowds so she really couldn't separate from Ivan. She looked out and expected for him to be there but he was already couple of paces ahead. He thought she was still behind him.

"I-Ivan, wait!" The girl's shouts were drowned in the multiple conversations of people. She slipped past a couple and moved aside as someone swung on their bag. She reached for the Russian but missed when someone stepped in her way. She apologized and continued following the tall nation. He wasn't as easy to spot because he wore casual clothes that were similar to the ones his citizens were wearing but his height and trademark scarf kept him distinct enough.

Ivan felt a tug at the end of his scarf. He glanced over his shoulder and found his little companion looking a little flushed. He moved themselves to the side to keep out of the people's way. He tilted his head. "Are you okay, comrade? You look out of breath."

Maki nodded and got her breathing back to normal. "I'm sorry. I got held back so I was trying to catch up with you…"

The Russian chuckled. He should have known. Someone small as her would get lost in a thick crowd like that. After all, this festival usually had the attendance of thousans of people over the course of several weeks. He petted her head. "It's alright, little one. I should have paid more attention." He held out his hand. "Let's not get separated again, da?"

The girl stared at his open hand and then smiled at him. "Da." She took his hand and they wove through the busy streets.

"This city is nicknamed 'Venice of the North'," Ivan commented as they walked on a bridge. "Can you guess why?"

Maki gazed out at the river and other bridges and canals that were integrated in the city. It did remind her of Venice, Italy. "I wonder…"

"Is something the matter, comrade?"

She shrugged. "I was wondering how Jackie was doing. I haven't heard from her ever since she left to go with Berwald."

The Russian guessed she wasn't used to the lack of contact with her friend for so long. He wanted to make up for it. They entered a theatre to see the featured films for the Festival of the Festivals; which was a part of the White Nights festival.

Ivan got them some decent seats and had Maki save his place. "I will get us something to drink. Just wait here, da?" She nodded.

He went out into the main hall and pulled out his phone. He dialed Jackie's number. He might as well check up on her for Maki. _Calling…calling…calling…_

"_H'llo?"_

Ivan blinked. It wasn't Jackie. "Huh? Berwald?" He wondered why the Swede answered instead.

"_H'llo Ivan."_

"Where is my little comrade?" he asked. If she wasn't there with her phone then where could she be?

"_Do y'u ne'd someth'ng fr'm Jack'e?"_

Ivan guessed she wasn't there at all. What could she being doing? Or what could they be doing with her? "I do not need to tell you, comrade," he said darkly. He closed his phone. He decided he would call back later. Music started blaring from the theatre room so he quickly bought two bottles of water and hurried back to where Maki was.

-_Several films later_-

"You're still trembling, padrooga." Ivan laughed gently as the two walked out of the theatre.

Maki was basically brain-dead but the last film was a short horror one. She doesn't get scared easily because she was able to predict things before they happened but this one was a combination of gore and unexpected scares. It was good overall, obvious by how it was chosen to be part of the main showing, but she wished she was warned. "I-I will get over it…"

The Russian felt a little bad that she had to watch through that. He enjoyed it though. He spotted an ice cream stand across the bridge. The two crossed it and he told her to wait for him by a patch of grass.

Maki sighed and gazed at the water. It was eight o'clock and the sky was as bright as if it was still four. From the reflection, she saw a couple of hands waving at her. She glanced up and saw the Baltic Trio at the other side. The girl smiled and waved back.

Then she suddenly felt vibrations coming from her pocket. She raised her brow. It was from Ludwig's house. Maybe she forgot something. She answered it. "Hello?"

"_Kiki-chan!"_

The girl put the phone away from her ear. Jackie? "W-what's wrong? Why are you in Germany?"

"_I was kidnapped…"_

She choked on the water she decided to drink. "What?"

"_Just kidding! Maybe…"_

Maki wiped her mouth. "What's really wrong then?"

"_Can you call Berwald and tell him where I am? I lost my phone and I want to get out of here."_

"Why are you there in the first place?" She heard some cheering and shouting in the background.

"_Dan decided to take me to a drinking party. It will be fun he said. I will have a blast he said."_ She made an aggravated sigh. _"Can you tell Berwald to pick me up?"_

"Okay then… I will."

"_Thanks, Kiki-chan!"_ She hung up.

Maki pressed on her speed-dial options and selected Jackie's number. She waited for the tones to go by.

"_H'llo?"_

She flinched a little. The voice reminded her of something in that horror film. "Ah, B-B-Berwald."

"_Mak'."_

"Hello…" She took a deep breath to get herself back together. "Sorry to bother you but I know where Jackie is."

"_Yo' know wh're Ja'kie is?"_

"Y-yes. She's at Ludwig's house. She said Dan brought her over there."

The call ended. She looked at her phone. She guessed that he at least got the memo.

"Boo!"

Maki squeaked and dropped her phone onto the ground. She knelt to pick it up with trembling hands.

Ivan giggled. "I'm sorry, comrade." When she turned around he handed her a cone of vanilla ice cream. "I got you some morozhenoe {ice cream}."

She put her device away and accepted the treat. "T-thank you…"

He smiled and ruffled her short brown hair. "You remind me of little Raivis. You're both small and tremble a lot." The little nation used to be his personal favorite to mess with, until, however; they all decided to leave him.

Maki saw the melancholic look in his eyes and his hand was still on her head. She took his hand in hers and pulled him to the street. "I would like to look around some more, please?"

Ivan looked at her in surprise. He then laughed. "Okay, let's keep walking."

-_Midnight, train ride back to the dacha_-

Ivan sighed happily as he and Maki got settled in their seats on the train. They went to see other performances such as a ballet and a music concert, and they filled their stomachs with vendor food like pirozhki and shashlik.

The girl was just as satisfied as him after the long day. "There were so many different talents out there. I bet Jackie would have liked to see the dancers."

"I agree." He smiled and faced her. "What are your talents, comrade?" He knew Jackie could dance and draw but he never knew what Maki was good at, besides baking.

She shrugged. "I like baking and photography."

"You made very good desserts," he praised. He remembered that Ludwig mentioned how she was very athletic. "Do you play any sports or do any specific physical activities?"

"…I—"

The train jolted a little and a person lost his balance. He fell into the seat across from them and apologized. Maki caught a glimpse of his skateboard as he was leaving. It was a Birdhouse board, not high in recommendations unless he was a beginner because the deck broke and chipped easily. She guessed it was decent enough though. She would recommend the Plan B brand.

"Comrade?"

She shook her head. "S-sorry, he startled me a little. No, I don't really do any of those. I just like to stay fit I guess..."

He looked at her curiously and at the boy. He shrugged. "Well, it's pretty late so you can sleep until we get to our stop. I will wake you up."

Maki gratefully accepted that. She was pretty tired. She gazed out the window at the dimming sky. It was still light out but it was leaning more to the six o'clock kind of sky where there was still blue but the orange and pink were fading in.

Ivan watched as she gradually drifted to sleep. He smiled gently and put his coat over her. He was glad she decided to stay with him. He enjoyed the company. He just hoped he wouldn't scare her away, or worst yet, hoped his younger sister wouldn't scare her away. He shuddered at the thought.

An attendant came by to see how he was doing and asked if he wanted anything.

He ordered some vodka to end the night. He pulled out the brown paper bag from earlier out of his large pocket and started knitting a teal-colored scarf.

…

-_Hetalia_-

**Hey Hey, Papa, give me vodka.**

**Hey Hey Mama, Hey Hey Mama,**

**I could never forget the taste of the pirozhki that I ate a long time ago!**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**I'm Russia!**

**Ah, a wondrous world**

**That can be seen with a single stroke of a brush**

**Winter in Siberia is super cold!**

**Below freezing!**


	10. Chapter 10: To the Beaches of Spain!

**Heyo~ remember us? Did you have a nice Christmas? I hope so. Sorry about the late update! EliteKessu and I were trying to shorten this chapter as much as we could but we couldn't get it lower than 4,500 OTL It's some summer for your winter!... Unless you live in like Australia... so... more summer for you guys..?  
**

**Anyway, take breaks if you need to!**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

To the Beaches of Spain!

_Then there it was, in the shadows, a pale-faced creature crept slowly up to the lone girl. It lifted its decaying finger and pointed right at her. Suddenly—_

Maki gasped as her phone went off. She marked her page and answered it.

"_Hey~, what's up?_" It was Jackie.

"Was just about to finish reading a book. What about you?" She leaned against the headboard of her bed. It's been a while since she's heard from her friend.

"_Sitting on Dan's back._" There were some sounds of struggle in the background.

Maki wriggled her toes under the blanket. "Sounds great."

"_I know right?_"

"_I SAID I WAS SORRY!"_ The brunette held the phone away from her ear.

"_Nope." _Jackie brought her phone back to her face. "Anyway, did you get the call from Antonio yet?"

Maki thought back. As far as she could remember, all she's done was read and write. "Uhh… what call?"

"_Oh, looks like you haven't gotten it yet. Maybe Ivan did." _

Maki tilted her head. "Did something happen?"

"_Well, Antonio is inviting people to his beaches just for some beach fun." _

All her attention absorbed itself into that single statement. "That sounds like fun." She concealed a smile. "I'll go ask Ivan."

"_Alright."_

Maki bounded off the bed, set the phone on the desk, and scurried into the hall. "Ivan?"

"_Da?"_ It sounded like it came from his office.

She made her way to the doorway and peeked in. Some last minute nerves swelled up in her since she wasn't used to asking these kinds of things. "Are you busy..?"

The Russian looked up from a document he was marking. "Just some paperwork." He set the sheet on a nearby pile. "Do you need something, comrade? "

"Uh…" She fidgeted with the doorknob. "I was wondering if you've gotten a call from Antonio recently."

He was a bit lost. "Hmm, not that I am aware off—" His phone started ringing. "Oh, that might be him. One second, comrade." He answered it.

Maki excused herself and stood in the hall, in case it was some important diplomatic call or something instead. She traced the details of the carpet with her toes.

"See you then, comrade." Just as Ivan set the phone down, Maki wandered back into the room. "That was Antonio. How did you know?"

She laughed her usual timid laugh. "Jackie asked me about it earlier."

"Ah," the Russian smiled, "but yes, would you like to go to the beaches of Spain?"

She looked down and nodded shyly. He chuckled in response. She didn't need to hold back. The girl faced him again, with a slight blush across her face. "Would you like to go too?"

He beamed, "Da," and then glanced down at his little stack of documents, "but I would like to finish my paperwork first."

She understood. "I'll let you get back to work then." She bowed her head and hurried back to her room. She picked up her phone, glad that Jackie was still on the line. "Hello?"

The girl only heard ruckus and other miscellaneous noises coming from the other side. She thought that maybe it was the wrong time and should call back later.

"_God, Dan, you're…_" There was a slight pause. "_Oh, hi Maki."_

She was close to ending the call. "…Am I interrupting something?"

"_Dan was being stupid again but he's being punished by Lukas now."_

"Oh, okay." Usual business then.

"_Anyway, you talked to Ivan about the beaches?"_

Maki sat on the edge of her bed. "Yeah, I think we're going after he finishes his paperwork." She glimpsed at the time. It seemed like a lot though.

"_Cool. I'm already packed and we're going to the airport in a couple of hours. I wanted to make sure that you were heading over there too."_

Well that was fast. "That's good. I guess I'll start packing too."

"_Yay! Hopefully we will meet up at Antonio's house then."_

Maki smiled. "Yep. Are all the Nordics coming too?"

"_Yep. Well, Lukas and Emil are going to come a bit later because they are expecting Peter."_

"Hmm, okay." She was about to ask something else but then realized the call had ended. She shrugged. It wasn't drastically important anyway.

"_Comrade~!"_

Maki went to the railings by the stairs. "Yes?"

Ivan looked up at her. He was carrying his tray of finished tea. "Are you ready to start packing?"

"Y-yes, I'm ready to start packing."

He noticed the suppressed excitement in her eyes. He smiled at her. It wasn't common that she would get really excited. The last time was when they went to the film festival and that was two weeks ago. But it has been nothing but paperwork since then, so it was nice to get some fun.

"When will we be leaving?" she asked.

"In about an hour or so." He had booked a flight before he left his office. "That was the soonest I could get."

The girl believed that it was fantastic as it was since she had expected for him to finish his work a bit later. "Okay, I'll be ready by then." She disappeared into her room to pack for the trip.

Ivan giggled and soon joined her in the preparation.

-_After the plane ride-_

Maki stretched upwards as she and Ivan filed out of the plane and walked toward the waiting area. "I wonder if everyone is here already."

A head turned toward her and blinked.

The Japanese girl glanced back. "Oh hi, is everyone here yet?"

The Korean girl pointed at the crowd behind her and indeed there were Berwald, Tino, and Dan. Then she started laughing. "What perfect timing."

Maki laughed too. "Yeah, seriously."

Jackie hugged her. "Yay!" She hasn't seen her for three weeks, too long. She then hugged Ivan. "Hi~!"

_-A moment of chit chat later-_

"Anyway," Jackie grabbed up her carry-on bag. "Let's find our bags and go."

The group made their way to the baggage claim. The airport wasn't terribly packed but at the same time there were still a lot of people. Then again it was the summertime and who wouldn't want to pay a visit to Europe's beaches, especially Spain's.

The Korean girl turned to Tino. "Hey Uncle Finny, when do you think Uncle Norge and Uncle Icey will come?"

Ivan tilted his head while Maki looked at the two. "They're your uncles now?"

"Nicknames, hello," she retorted.

The Finn laughed casually. "We got used to it by now."

"I'm still the uncle," complained Dan, "I should be the big brother!

The taller girl frowned at him. "Oppa is big brother."

Maki glanced back at the Dane. "And no one else can take that title."

"In any case," Tino looked at Jackie, "we might see them tomorrow."

"Hopefully," she replied.

Maki looked out ahead of her to find the sign for the baggage claim. It was interesting seeing Spanish words this time along with English and, what she's been informed, Catalan. "Where are we supposed to meet Antonio?"

Berwald checked his messages on his phone. "Outs'd th' air'po't."

Ivan squinted ahead at the exit as the glare from the sun was a little blinding. "I think I see him and his grumpy comrade."

"_CHIGI!"_

"Yep, that's Lovino alright." Jackie scoffed. She's sure anyone would recognize that trademark outburst.

Antonio caught a glimpse of the colorful group through the crowd. He waved his arms so that they could see him. He was glad that the girls could make it too.

-_Baggage claim and drive later-_

"We're here~!" The Spaniard drove into the parking lot of a hotel with a car packed with Jackie, Maki, Berwald, and Tino. He had Lovino drive Dan and the luggage in his own car since there was no more space.

Maki had a sneak peek of the beach as they drove past it. She turned to her friend. "It's so nice here." It was much better than the one they'd last been to.

Jackie bumped her head against the glass of the window. It was warm to the touch thanks to the fact that she was sitting on the side where the rays were hitting for the first half an hour of the ride. "If it was cloudy, it would be better." At least it was hitting nightfall now.

"But we are in the country of Sun and Passion." Antonio grinned as he looked back at her.

"I know," sighed Jackie. She couldn't stand the heat and the packed car didn't help.

Tino smiled. "I can't wait to go out there, right Berwald?" He looked up at him.

The Swede nodded. "Yeah, seems fun."

Jackie has had enough of sitting and got out of the car. "Yay! I can stretch." She reached for the sky.

"_AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

She jumped from the sudden outburst while Maki hurried out to see if something was wrong, "What, what?"

The Korean, unamused, turned to Alfred.

He laughed heartily. "I scared you!"

A swift hand came in and yanked at the American's ear. Arthur scowled at him. "Apologize!"

"Now now," Antonio broke in between them, "we are here to have fun~. So let's get to our rooms."

Tino glanced at his watch, which read 19:15 [7:15pm]. "Good idea." Everyone filed into the hotel and received their keys.

"Hey! Hurry up!" Lovino was holding up some bags from his car. The Finn and Dan went to retrieve them.

Antonio was about to go help too but then remembered something. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention," he turned back to Maki, "you and your friend has to share a room with Alfred."

Jackie decided to come over upon hearing her name. "Why?"

"Aw come on," Alfred put his arms around the girls' shoulders, "What's wrong with rooming with the hero? It's gonna' be awesome."

The Spaniard shrugged. "Lo siento senoritas, but there was some technical issues and it can't be changed."

"Aww, that's too bad." Ivan set down Maki's bag he got from the car. "I'll see you at the beach then, comrade."

The girl nodded. "Okay then."

"See y' tom'rr'w." Berwald stood waiting for the elevator.

"Good night." Tino waved at everyone.

"'Night mom! 'Night Mother Russia!" shouted Jackie.

"What?!" Arthur stopped after walking down the stairs. He wasn't sure if he was hearing things or not.

"'Night Uncle Finny, Uncle Dan, Uncle Artie!" she continued.

Ivan chuckled softly. "Good night, comrade."

Berwald nodded at her. "'Night."

Jackie grinned at their responses and looked up at Alfred. "Come on dad, let's go."

"I'm a dad?" He was dumbfounded for a second and then burst into laughter. "Then that totally makes Uncle Iggy an old man!"

"Totally the point," she agreed.

"Oi!" the Brit shouted at them.

Alfred continued laughing as he made his way to the room.

Jackie looked down at Maki. "You okay? Excited?"

She smiled in response. "Can't wait for tomorrow."

The older one poked the other's side. "Yeah, I know. You love the beach; or anything beautiful in nature now that I think about it."

"_What's the room number again?!"_ The American shouted from somewhere within the building.

Jackie froze in place since she didn't know either.

"Uhh…" Maki turned to Antonio.

He laughed. "Room 58."

"Do you have a spare key too, just in case?" she asked.

"Front desk, senorita." He pointed down the lobby.

"Gracias." Maki retrieved the key from the receptionist and returned to where Jackie was. "Let's go find Mr. Hero."

"You think he would be easy to spot in a place like this?" Jackie frowned. Then she stopped. "Wait, when did he disappear in the first place?"

"I don't know…" Maki sighed.

_-After a long search…-_

Alfred automatically threw himself onto one of the beds as soon as the door got unlocked. The two girls wearily dragged themselves in after him.

Jackie stared at him. "Really…"

Maki closed the door behind her and put the key on the table. "You're welcome…" They found him on the fifth floor, of all places. More technical issues happened when they found the elevator to be broken. So, of course, they were both tired.

The Korean set their bags in the corner. "I hope you have a swimsuit."

This time her friend froze in place. She had completely forgotten about it.

Jackie flopped onto the second bed. "I forgot that we're not in our world so we don't have all of our stuff." She raised a finger. "I don't have one either."

Maki sighed. She had some money for one suit but definitely not enough for two.

"Anyway," Jackie yawned as she decided to sort out the problem later, "I am going to sleep for tomorrow."

Maki nodded. "I will too after getting settled."

"Okay, 'night." She tucked into the blanket on one side of the bed. Since Alfred showed no signs of making room, she made sure to leave space for Maki.

The younger girl washed up and changed to her pajamas. She still wondered what they were to do without a swimsuit. There was always the shorts and tee shirt, or tank top, option. She yawned. It wasn't the time to think about it. They had searched endless floors for Alfred. It didn't occur to them that they could have called him instead until the very end.

Maki turned out the lights, crawled onto her side of the bed, and fell asleep just as automatically as the American did.

…

But not fast enough.

Alfred was snoring up a storm.

"Dad…" Jackie rolled over. "Shut up…"

"I had a feeling…" Maki placed a pillow over her head.

"We'll get him back in the morning." Jackie poked her friend's side. "Let's get your phone and play quiet music."

The other girl felt around the bedside table for her phone. She quickly made a playlist of sleep-suitable songs and let that drone them back to sleep. Though, it wasn't enough.

-_The next morning-_

"Wow…" Maki gasped at the blue, blue, blue scenery. The sky was clear and the water was clear. Toward the horizon, the water turned to a deeper blue. There were scatters of people down the beach and seagulls here and there, and a gentle breeze blew through her short hair. The sand was clean and soft between her toes. She pulled up the camera app and took some pictures. She spotted Alfred and Feliciano playing in the water and took a picture of that too.

"Hello~!" Antonio jogged toward her. He had on a straw summer hat and a pair of sunglasses along with red swimming trunks.

Maki smiled widely. "Your beach is very beautiful."

He got to where she was standing. "Gracias. Where is Jackie?"

She glanced at the hotel. "She'll join us later." It was 10:30 when Alfred and Francis abruptly woke them up but that was still too early for Jackie; especially after a long night.

"Alright." He took her by the wrist. "There are a lot of people down by the beach already. Let's head down."

Ivan saw the two come up to the meeting spot. "Ah, comrade." He waved from under his giant Russian-themed umbrella. Maki waved back at him. He did not recall that she owned a swimsuit. "Francis?"

She blushed and nodded. She was thankful for her t-shirt because it revealed too much skin for her taste. It was a white and teal bikini top with a light green skirt cover-up.

An arm went over her shoulders and she flinched upon contact. Gilbert smirked as he eyed her. "She's wearing a shirt over her swimsuit. I bet she'll look nicer without it."

Maki blushed even more. "Uh… hello…" She wished Jackie was here because she just broke her promise of not having the BTT touch her.

"Bruder! How many times do I have to say to not harass Maki?" Ludwig came up to the two.

The Prussian held his hands up in defense. "I wasn't doing anything!"

"Ve~!" Feliciano came running from the water and hugged her. "You look so pretty!"

"T-thank you," replied Maki. She didn't see what the big deal was especially because she was wearing the shirt. Then again, wouldn't Feliciano give compliments to all girls?

"Give the girl some room." Eyes turned to the voice and it was Arthur walking toward them, in his red and white swimming trunks and white button top.

"Hey Artie!" Alfred shouted from the water.

"Yes, hello." He sighed and turned his attention back to the crowd. "Now, give the girl some space."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. His fun always had to be ruined. "Whatever, Eyebrows." He went to bug his brother, who went off to read in the shade.

The Brit looked around. "Is Jacklin not with you?"

Maki felt like she could breathe again. She shook her head. "It's a little early for her right now."

"But it's almost noon!" he exclaimed.

She just shrugged. "Little early." She went off to set her things down by Ivan.

Arthur sighed. "Bloody Americans are so lazy."

"_Heads up!" _

A beach ball slammed into the Brit's head. Even though it's just an air-filled ball, the force seemed to match that of a volleyball. He turned and scowled at Alfred. "YOU BLOODY GIT!" He grabbed the beach ball. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!"

The American jogged up to him. "I gave you a warning dude." The other did not hear and started chasing after him. Alfred clearly ran faster though. "DUDE, I SAID SORRY!"

"NO YOU DID NOT!"

Ivan giggled at the sight. "Those two are always so lively."

A sweatdrop ran down Maki's head. "Yep." And many of the fangirls in her world would not mind though.

"Ah, Maki-chan."

The said girl turned to find Kiku, Yao, and Yong Soo walking toward her. She smiled. "Konnichiwa."

"'Morning, daze!" The Korean jogged ahead of the two Asian nations.

"Good morning," Maki greeted him.

He looked around for someone was missing. "Still sleeping, daze?"

"You guessed right."

He smiled. "She always did that to me, daze." He recalled how she was always sleeping in when she was staying with him. He didn't mind though. It gave him time to plan what he could do for her for the day. Although he doesn't want to remember what happened when he did try to wake her up one faithful morning. A slight chill went down the Korean's spine.

Maki laughed a little. "I had a feeling." A force almost knocked her over and she was locked in a tight embrace.

"So cute, aru!" Yao found it irresistible. With the white flower clip in her hair and skirt cover-up, she was adorable. And he appreciated her decision to keep herself covered.

"Of course, I had hand-picked the outfit and—" Francis stopped, with an absolutely disappointed look on his face. "NUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Maki, still stuck in Yao's grasps, waved at the Frenchman.

He tugged at her sleeve. "Why would you wear such a plain-looking shirt for an excellent outfit like this?"

She cast her gaze toward the water. "I usually do…"

He wasn't satisfied with that response. "But, but, it's such a beautiful outfit! How could you just wear a plain shirt over it?!"

"Because I can…" she muttered.

_Pang_.

"Leave the poor girl alone." Elizabeta lifted her frying pan from Francis' head. Her yellow pastel summer dress fluttered in the gentle breeze.

The Frenchman held his head in pain. He knew what Gilbert had to go through now. "Bonjour to you too, mademoiselle…"

She smirked at him. "Jackie sent me in case any perverts try to molest Maki."

"How considerate of her," commented Ivan. He was watching all the commotion as he sipped some kvass; pretty much a Russian cola.

She tied her hair back. "Yeah, well I happened to bump into her when she was going to get something to eat."

"Which means she'll be joining us soon, yes?" Francis beamed.

"Yeah." She waved her frying pan threateningly at him.

"How fabulous will she look in her swimsuit, I cannot wait." He grinned.

Jackie scoffed and dumped her vanilla ice cream on his bare back. He shrieked and jumped from his spot. The girl smiled darkly at him. "Don't sound too excited about seeing me in a swimsuit, you pervert."

"Ah, comrade." Ivan waved at her.

She smiled sweetly at him. "Hi, Mother Russia."

"Dude! What is up with those tattoos?" Alfred stared at Jackie many markings. There was a large butterfly on her upper back, another butterfly on her right shoulder, a sun around her belly button, and some intricate designs down her left forearm and the side of her right thigh.

Jackie shrugged. "Back during my gang and juvenile days, but whatever."

"Glad you can finally join us~." Antonio was completely unfazed by the whole situation. He thought it was pretty cool.

"Thanks, but don't expect me to stay happy for too long. Me and heat do not go together." Jackie moved her long hair away from her neck. She was wearing a cerulean blue top with ruffles and a dark blue flower on a strap. She also wore a longer light blue skirt.

Yong Soo nodded. "You look great, daze~."

"Thanks, I guess." Jackie shrugged. "But either way…" she glimpsed at Maki and tapped her shoulder, "You're it!" She ran off.

The tagged girl stared blankly as her friend ran off. "What… Wait!" She ran after her as soon as her brain caught up to what just happened.

Jackie laughed as she made her way down the sand. It felt nice between her toes so running wasn't a problem.

"I wanna play, I wanna play!" Feliciano raised his hand. Maki tapped his back as she ran past him.

"Youth, they're so energetic." Yao watched the two girls run by. Feliciano tapped his shoulder and ran away. He stood, stunned. "Why me, aru?!"

"Because we are playing a game, duh!" Jackie shouted from about ten feet away.

Yao huffed and knowing that he could not run far he strode over and tapped Kiku's head.

"E-eh?" The Japanese man looked at him. He just grinned and scurried off. Kiku sighed and lightly touched Alfred's arm and moved out of his reach.

"Huh?" The American looked one way while Arthur smacked him in the head from the other direction. It was payback for the beach ball.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Jackie. In the background she heard Ivan giggle.

"Wait, I'm it?" Alfred was completely unfazed by the hit.

"Yep." Jackie hinted at Kiku.

Alfred tapped Arthur's shoulder. "You're it!" He ran off and Arthur ended up chasing after him again.

Maki and Jackie watched everyone run around tagging each other. The smaller of the two laughed lightly. "I have a feeling that it's going to spread to everyone first before we get out turn again…"

Jackie grinned. "Exactly. It's awesome to see everybody having fun."

"Good point." Maki walked toward the water. Jackie followed close behind. The Japanese girl reached for a shell but it was broken so she returned it to the water. "When was the last time we went to the beach?"

Jackie dug her toe in the sand. "Hmm… maybe before we went to school last year?"

"In other words, forever ago." Maki saw a little yacht in the horizon.

"Yep." Her friend smiled and splashed water at the other.

"Hey!" She splashed back.

Jackie giggled. "Water gun attack!" She splashed again.

"More like waterbending." Maki returned the favor.

"Hey~!" The taller girl wiped her face.

The other giggled. Before she could do more, Alfred tapped her on the head. "You're it!"

_-A long game of tag later-_

"I cannot swim to save my life." Jackie carefully followed her little friend out in the water.

Maki sweatdropped. She decided that she wanted to go out for a swim and Jackie insisted on trailing along. "Just don't follow me too far."

They ventured out until Jackie couldn't touch her feet onto the ground anymore.

Maki waded out a little further. "It feels really nice."

"Just be careful!" Jackie shouted.

"You too," Maki responded.

"What are you talking about?" Jackie shouted from on top of a tall rock.

The Japanese girl wondered how in the world she got up there so fast. "J-just don't fall off…" The other girl grinned in response.

Underwater, Maki saw some shells amid the rocks. "I'll be right back!" She took a deep breath and dove in.

_-Back on the beach-_

Arthur was reclining on a beach chair. He lifted his sunglasses and squinted out. He knew the girls went out for a swim but someone was missing. Jackie was on the rock but… "Where is Maki?!"

Alfred sat up from his sunbath. "The hero's on it!" He ran toward the water.

Jackie saw a streak of water heading toward her. She gasped. "Hey! No!"

Maki resurfaced and took a grateful gasp of air. She held up a small conch shell. "I got it!"

"…Oh." Arthur settled back in his chair.

Alfred stopped midway. "Oh~!"

Jackie was glad that the misunderstanding was gone. She walked back to where she was sitting but accidentally slipped on some wet algae. She lost her balance and fell off the edge.

Maki dropped her shell. "Jackie!"

Her friend managed to grab the edge of the rock. Alfred climbed onto the rock and reached for her. Before she could, another pair of hands grabbed her arms and pulled her up.

"Whoo, thanks." She sat cross-legged and sighed in relief.

Maki followed the latter gesture. She was sure her heart stopped for a split second.

"That was eventful!" The Korean exclaimed.

Alfred turned to the Swede, who had stolen his hero job. "When did you get out here?"

"J'st now."

"Dude, you're so fast!" The American stood up and pointed at the beach. "We should race!"

He shook his head. "N't now, Ja'ki's shiv'rin'."

"I am?" She held up her hands and indeed she was.

"Fine, later then." Alfred was just glad his citizen was safe. "Anyway…" He took a couple of steps from the edge. "Cannonball!" He leaped off the rock and plunged into the water.

Jackie laughed. "Oh dad, you're funny."

Berwald sat next to her. "Are y' ok?"

"I didn't know I was shivering." She clasped her hands together.

Maki noticed Jackie looking in her direction. She waved and her older friend waved back.

She was glad Jackie was safe. It was amazing by how fast Berwald came.

She turned over and decided to float about on her back for a while.

The sunshine and water were nice after all.

Though, she wished Alfred would stop leaving huge waves behind him.

…

_-Hetalia-_

**Hey Hey, Ita-chan, do you want churros?**

**Hey Hey Mama, Hey Hey Mama,**

**I could never forget the taste of the paella I ate a long time ago!**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**I'm Spain!**

**Ah, a wondrous world**

**That can be seen with a single stroke of a brush**

**The Kingdom of Passion !**

**Spain!**


	11. Chapter 11: Surprises

**Ohhhhh lordy, FINALLY an update for this story. I feel so guilty since I'm the one to edit and update the chapters… We should really figure out another system. **

**Anywho, it's been a year since this story started. I think we're on a good track with the amount of chapters we have. I mean the lack of updates hurt us a little but it's all good (at least that's what I think)... **

**You're probably tired of hearing me blabber. Time to continue the story. It's a bit shorter than usual but still, enjoy~!**

* * *

Surprises

It was another sunny day in Spain when Maki woke up. She stretched her arms above her head. "I think I slept longer than expected…" she muttered to herself.

Alfred, who's been awake already, looked at the girl from the bathroom doorway. As of right now, he was brushing his teeth. "Hey, you're up."

"Good morning." Maki lazily waved her hand. She then gazed around the room looking for her friend, only to find that she was nowhere to be found. Maki turned back to the American. "Where's Jackie?"

Alfred shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. She was gone by the time I woke up."

"That's pretty unusual." Maki picked up her phone to see if there were any messages her Korean friend could have left. She couldn't imagine Jackie waking up before her on _any_ occasion.

The American just shrugged again as he continued to brush his teeth. "Oh, by the way." He went to spit out the paste from his mouth. After a quick rinse, he looked at Maki. "Mr. Sparkle Party was looking for you. He left a note." The Japanese girl just stared at him with a monotone face. "What?"

"'Mr. Sparkle Party'? Really?" Maki just sighed as she looked at the note. She will never see Ludwig with that image. Subconsciously, she read it out loud. "_Have you seen Jacklin? She was supposed to help me with some work but I cannot find her. If you cannot locate her then will you be able to assist me? I will be in the second kitchen._" She scratched her head. "Where did she disappear to?" _And what 'work' was he referring to?_

"I don't know." Alfred altered his shirt. "But Ludwig said to give you that note ASAP."

"Okay." Maki finally got out of bed.

Alfred grabbed his bomber jacket and casually put it on. "Well, I gotta go. There's an Allies meeting, for whatever reason." He groaned. "And I thought we were supposed to be on vacation."

"Oh well." Maki shrugged.

"See ya~!" Then the American disappeared out the door.

The lone girl quickly changed into the clothes for today and headed out for the kitchen. Once she reached the designated place, she wasn't surprised to find Ludwig baking. She knew beforehand that he could but she'd never actually seen it happen, until she wandered into the kitchen one morning.

Ludwig turned his head towards the door once he heard the creak. "You couldn't locate Jacklin could you?"

"No, but I did leave her a message."

"That's fine." Then the German blushed a little. "Now I need your help with this cake."

"What is it for?" Maki asked innocently.

He just blushed a bit more and didn't answer. But he just coughed. "In any case, I need your assistance of gathering ingredients for this recipe."

"Okay. What do you need?" She asked. She also wondered why he was acting this way. It was just unnatural.

"I need you to chop the chocolate on the counter, coarsely." Ludwig walked off to a different part of the counter. "I am going to gather the wet ingredients."

"Yes sir." Maki went straight to work as she carefully chopped the chocolate. It might have been a good idea that Jackie didn't come. She's a little careless.

But then, Feliciano popped his head through the door.

"Ve~! Ludwig~! Can I come in—"

"NEIN! NOT YET!"

Maki flinched from the loud exclamation, which caused her to cut her finger a little. She quickly set down the knife and put her finger in her mouth. She couldn't locate the paper towels and didn't want to ruin the cloth ones.

"But aren't you making. . .VE! MAKI!" Feliciano raced to Maki's side as soon as he saw the drip of blood that stained n the counter.

"Good morning Feliciano," she said casually. Regardless, the Italian was still panicking. Maki sighed. "I didn't cut it too deep, so don't worry." She looked at her finger.

The nation didn't listen. He raced to Ludwig and basically shouted that he get Maki a band-aid; begging more than shouting.

"Alright! Stop shaking me!" his bulky companion commanded. Then he quickly grabbed the first-aid kit from one of the cupboards. He quickly put a band-aid on Maki's injured finger. "There. Now please be careful." Ludwig turned to Feliciano and poked his forehead. "And you, don't you have entrees to work on?!"

"Ve! That's right!"

"You two seem very busy this early in the morning." Maki altered her band-aid a little bit since he didn't properly secure it.

"That's because we are helping with the par—"

"ITALY! WHERE IS THAT TRAY?!" Francis shouted.

Feliciano jumped in surprise, so much so that he grabbed a random tray and ran off to where she supposed was the other kitchen. The two left behind just stood there in shock. Maki tilted her head to the side. "I thought there was an Allies meeting today."

"Who told you that lie?" Ludwig asked.

"Lie?" The girl looked at the German. "Alfred did."

Ludwig sighed as he grabbed his part of the ingredients. "There are no meetings today. After tomorrow, we all leave for our homes."

"Then why did he. . .?" Maki went to think it over as she proceeded to chop up the chocolate.

Ludwig let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know; I am not American." Maki giggled a little at that comment. "How is the chocolate? I need to mix the ingredients now."

"I'm done."

He nodded his head. "Good. Now, Arthur is asking for help."

She set the knife and cutting board by the sink. She hadn't noticed the Brit come in or anything. She must have been too deep in thought. "Okay, where would he be?"

"In the main lobby. Thank you for the help." He stirred the chocolate in the saucepan.

"You're welcome." Maki washed her hands before leaving the kitchen. As she was leaving, she could have sworn that Ludwig said something under his breath. Maki shrugged her shoulders as she went to go find Arthur.

_-After a short walk-_

"THAT BLOODY IDIOT! LEAVNG ME ALONE FOR THIS BLOODY—"

Maki froze. She wasn't exactly used to all the yelling yet. Her home was always quiet. Arthur and Maki blinked at each other.

"Ah, love, I'm sorry for screaming." The Brit shifted under the weight of the materials in his hands. "But the bloody American just left me with all this stuff that I can barely lift."

"Let me lend you a hand." Maki quickly took a random assortment of stuff from Arthur. Of the many things, she noticed red banners and flags.

"Thank you." Arthur unintentionally cracked his back as he stood up in his regular posture. "That is a huge relief. Thank you, love."

Maki smiled. "No problem."

"Now, we need to drop all of this stuff off to the storage." Both started walking, well, Arthur led the way. "Afterward, we need to return here to search for some decorations."

"Decorations?" Maki tilted her head. _Was there a celebration of some sort in Spain?_

Arthur suddenly stopped in his tracks. "U-uh-uh yes. Antonio requested help from us countries for an uh-uh an upcoming holiday. Yeah, that's it. Since we are staying at this hotel on his expense and um-uh . . ."

Maki remained quiet for a little bit before talking again. "Oh, it must be for the Running of the Bulls."

The Brit stood there surprised before talking again. "Y-y-yes, you're right! Thank you for the reminder love." Arthur laughed nervously. "But in any case, we need to get this stuff to the storage. Hurry now." He started running ahead.

"Okay!" Maki followed after him. It was nice that the countries were helping Antonio for a home event. Speaking of the Spaniard, he rounded the corner as the two entered into the hallway.

Antonio waved his hand. "Hola senorita~!"

Maki stopped. "Hello Antonio."

"Do you mind helping me with something?" He suddenly asked.

"Uhh . . . After I finish helping Arthur then I can." She turned around and quickly tried to catch up to the running Brit. By the time she did, she was exhausted.

"Set it anywhere, love."

Maki graciously dumped the junk on the ground. Then she stretched her back. "Was this all you needed help with?"

"There were some decorations that were buried thanks to all of the junk we brought here. Now there is room for me to get the rest." Arthur turned to Maki. "I think I should be able to handle the rest from here. You should take a break."

"Well, Antonio wanted me to help with something so I will take my break afterward." Maki turned to the hallway.

"Alright."

The girl wandered through the corridors searching for the Spaniard. Then she found him. Antonio noticed her coming toward him and he smiled.

"I finished helping Arthur," she reported.

"Bueno~!" Antonio smiled. "I need your help picking tomatoes. We have a large harvest this year and Lovino is too busy helping Feliciano."

Maki smiled. "You can count on me."

"Gracias."

_-After a little while-_

"Lo siento [I'm sorry]."

"YOU TOMATO BASTARD!" Lovino growled. "You know how long I have been waiting for you?!"

Earlier, while Maki was checking her phone to see if Jackie responded, she got a text message from Feliciano asking where Antonio was. After explaining her situation, Maki and Antonio ran to the entrance way where Romano was waiting for his Boss. Then that led her to this situation where the grumpy Italian was yelling at the Spaniard.

"Lo siento, but we luckily have extra help." Antonio gestured his hand to Maki.

"Oi~!" All three looked at Gilbert who was waving his hand. "Oi~, Francis is askin' for help!"

"Eh?" _What's with all these nations asking for help lately?_ Antonio patted Maki's shoulder. She glanced up at him and asked, "Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Me and Romano can handle it." Antonio smiled. Maki, getting the memo, walked towards Gilbert as the two tomato people walked out the door.

"Where's Francis?" Maki asked.

"In the main kitchen." Gilbert pointed towards the general direction. "Afterwards, help out the awesome me by looking for Gilbird."

"I swear, you keep on losing him. . . but fine." Maki entered the main kitchen.

Francis looked up at her once she entered. The look on his flustered face transitioned into one of ease.

"Ma cherie!" Francis shouted. "Thank goodness. Please turn down the fire on the soup that's boiling over! Quickly!" Maki raced to the stove and did just that. The Frenchie let out a sigh of relief. "Merci. Can you bring me that tray, ma cherie?"

"What are you preparing?" The Japanese girl asked as she brought him the item.

"White chocolate chip cookies. They will be delicious." Francis chuckled.

"That does sound really good. I'm sure people at the Running of the Bulls will enjoy them." Maki smiled. The smell of those cookies was wafting into her nose.

Francis paused in what he was doing for a brief second, but he just placed the cookie batter on the tray. "Ummm yes. Antonio is seeing this to be the best Bull Run." He laughed nervously.

She watched him place the dough in their individual space. "That's great."

"I have heard from Jackie that these are you favorite cookies as well, ma cherie." You can hear the smile in his voice. Maki nodded her head. "How about I leave some for you later?"

She looked at the cookies then at Francis, cookies, and Francis again. "Is it okay?"

"Yes, it's alright." He smiled. "Let us bake them first."

She smiled excitedly on the inside. "Right."

Just then Gilbert wandered into the kitchen, calling out for his little bird. Francis chuckled. "Is that silly thing hiding again?" he asked.

"I don't blame it." Maki whispered.

"The Awesome Me heard you." Gilbert frowned.

The girl smiled innocently. "Let's go find your birdy friend."

"Go look at the fifth and fourth floor," Gilbert instructed. "I'll be looking at the third and second floor."

"Got it."

So after wandering around the fourth floor for a while, Maki sat down on the stairs, finally taking her break. Everybody was really busy today. She understood why but still. Moreover, where did her best friend go? Maki had wandered around the whole hotel but there were no signs of her. Jackie might be down by the beach, but thinking about it carefully, she would not go on a sunny day like today.

"Hmm..." Maki looked up to see Tino. The Finn smiled. "Maki."

"Hello Tino." The said girl smiled back. "Have you seen Jackie?"

"She was with 'mommy' not too long ago."

"Mommy? . . . Berwald?" Jackie had mentioned something about that name calling a couple of nights ago.

"We seem to gather nicknames from her." Tino chuckled.

"Do you know where they went?" Maki asked. "Jackie was gone the whole day."

"Berwald came back a while ago. I have no idea where Jackie might be."

Maki sighed. "I see . . . well, thank you anyway." She stood up onto her feet. "I'm going to go search for Gilbird now."

"Good luck~."

Maki sighed as she continued her search for the little yellow bird. The sun was just about to set and she was getting tired. She took out her phone, still expecting a text message from her friend, and not seeing anything. It was getting late and she still hasn't seen Jackie anywhere. But then Maki jumped when she felt something cover her eyes.

Jackie laughed. "Don't ask questions." Maki can hear the smile in her voice. "Just go with it, okay?"

Well, at least she found her friend. "Okay. . . I guess."

"Don't worry about a thing." Jackie laughed as she quickly guided her friend towards the beach. "Just relax."

"Where are we going?" Maki asked.

"To the beach."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Eh?"

"You'll see."

"But. . ."

"Okay~!" Jackie undid the blindfold from Maki's eyes. "SURPRISE!"

She gasped. A giant bonfire stood off to the side from the arrangement of tables and chairs. All the countries were standing around with drinks in their hands and smiles on their faces. Dessert and food were randomly scattered at the main center table. But what shocked Maki most of all was the giant banner that hung from two poles.

Jackie hugged Maki from behind. "Happy Birthday Maki~!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAKI~!" Everybody cheered.

"B-but I didn't tell anyone—" Maki turned to the guilty party. She had completely forgotten about her own birthday because of everything that was happening. It was hard to keep track of the days. Jackie just raised her hand with a wide smile on her face. "Is this why you were gone all day?"

"Dude, I planned this whole thing." Jackie laughed. "Right down to you coming to Spain for this exact reason."

"Si~." Antonio butted in.

Maki blinked. "Seriously?"

Jackie patted Maki's shoulder and turned her around the waiting crowd. "Enough of the surprise already and let's eat!"

Everybody all agreed as Jackie pushed the shy Japanese girl towards the table of food. As promised, Francis left out a plate of white chocolate chip cookies just for the birthday girl.

_-Back at the hotel room after a long nighttime party-_

Jackie had her hands behind her back. By the way she looked, she was like a little kid getting praised for doing something good. Maki came out of the bathroom after changing into her nightwear.

"So~, how was today?" Jackie asked innocently.

Maki walked over and gave her friend a hug. "Thank you for everything! It was the best birthday ever."

Jackie gave a quick hug back. Then she just looked at Maki like a mother to a daughter, or in this case, big sister to little sister.

"Hey, I know you miss your family and all but don't let that haunt your mind." Jackie sat down on the bed and so did Maki. "Arthur is doing his best to get us back home and sulking about it won't make him find the spell faster. Besides you have your big sis with ya. The nations are here for us too. So what I am saying is, stop being a stiff." Maki laughed. Then Jackie held out a small rectangular gift. "And happy birthday, Maki."

Maki tilted her head to side. Then she opened the wrapped gift. Inside was a small framed painting of Maki's father and Maki's mother. Behind them was the house they have lived in for years; ever since she was a little girl. Standing in the middle was Maki with a small shy smile on her face. Jackie smiled at the surprised look on her friend's face. It took a while but Jackie managed to get the painting done.

Maki, suddenly, gave Jackie another hug but this time tears of happiness were falling. "Thank you."

"Hey what are best friends for?"

It was all good until a certain American decided to ruin it.

"Awww, that's cute," Alfred cooed.

"Shut up dad; stop ruining the moment!" Jackie yelled.

"I have it on camera ma cherie~."

Jackie stood up and started chasing the French through the hallways. Maki couldn't help but to laugh at it all.

…

_-Hetalia-_

**Hey hey Jackie, could I have some soda?**

**Hey hey Kiku, hey hey Kiku,**

**I could never forget the taste of the new world that I randomly fell into!**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**Draw a circle, there's the earth**

**I'm Maki!**

**Ah, a brand new world**

**That you could go to because of America.**

**Let's just enjoy our time!**

**Hetalia!**


End file.
